


Eighth Blood

by happycookiie



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/M, Family, Fantasy, Friendship, Magic, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2018-04-23 17:07:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 100,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4884877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happycookiie/pseuds/happycookiie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Octavia Petridis is an ordinary girl, living an equally ordinary life. But everything changes on a not so ordinary trip to Tokyo, where she is thrown back five hundred years into the past. Old evil is at work there, and she must join forces with a demon lord and countless other faces that fought in the battle against Naraku.</p><p>
  <i>"Eighth born. Eighth hour. Eighth mystery."</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning

If you would have told Octavia Petridis a couple of years back that one day she would find herself thrown into a world spanning generations backward, where magic and spiritual beliefs reigned, and frightening but fantastic creatures roamed the earth and soared high in the skies . . . She would have laughed in your face. So would anyone, if they were told that their destiny ran a lot deeper than they thought. If they were told it was their fate to go on a journey to fell a great evil and master the skills of the heart and soul. Especially if one's partner happened to be aloof Sesshoumaru of the Old West.

And that just so happened to be the case for one particular girl, who lived in the suburbs of Wales and watched the days roll by either with her hands covered in paint or her head buried in a book.

After the passing of her eighteenth birthday, Octavia Petridis indulged herself in the world of art and literature, and took on a place at University, even getting a job freelance. She had friends, ambitions, interests . . . A  _life_.

And it was  _normal_. A normal life, filled with normal things.

That is until she discovered her bloodline ran a lot deeper than she'd thought, and found she was relative to a Japanese group known as simply, Higurashi. Octavia's ancestry was never an easy subject, her blood traveling back to Ancient England, Greece, and now  _Japan_  had come into the equation as well. It seemed she had ancestors in almost  _every_  culture and country, so many that she honestly wouldn't have been surprised if she turned out to be related to the President of America himself. There were a lot of things about her family tree that was unclear . . .

And now, the Higurashi family had come into the roots, based in central Tokyo, which was where Octavia was on her way to now.

She relaxed in her seat on the plane and pushed the earphones more firmly into her ears. There was a loud man sat at the side of her, and she was trying to ignore him. She pulled her feet up and put them on the seat, shoes having been kicked off well over an hour ago so that her fluffy purple socks were on display to everyone on the plane. Not that she cared.

Music poured into her ears, and she passed a glance out of the window before returning her focus to the thick book on her lap. She ran two fingers down the cream calloused paper, and turned the page, thoughts pondering on the events of that past week.

"Come see us!" the mother of the Higurashi family had squealed down the phone in excitement. "Don't be shy, dear, we'll be glad to meet a relative! Especially one who's European. Ooh, how exciting!"

Octavia turned another page and drummed her foot lightly against the seat in front, eyes flickering along the dark lines of text. This book wasn't even a good one, but it was something to read, and Octavia  _loved_  reading. She'd read stories that explored the depths of love, stories that challenged modern society, fiction, fantasy, exciting stories that told of dragons and maidens waiting to be rescued; but her favourite stories had to be the ones that had  _magic_  in them.

Magic was the one thing Octavia loved more than reading, or writing, or painting. Magic was the one thing that couldn't be explored in real life, so fiction was really the only answer if one wanted to experience it. That is, that's what Octavia thought until later that next day.

When the plane finally landed in Tokyo airport, she got off and came to meet a young man with dark hair and warm brown eyes. He was standing in the waiting area, holding up one of those signs from the movies that read the person's name he was waiting for.

"Octavia Petridis?" he'd asked, in English to her surprise, to which she'd given a nod.

He extended a hand and smiled.

"I'm Sota." he said again in her native tongue, "Sota Higurashi. The woman you spoke to on the phone was my Mom."

She took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you," she smiled.

Sota took some of her bags and led her out to the airport parking lot, to where he had parked his car. He loaded the stuff and gestured her into the vehicle. Once they were both in, he cracked on the radio and pulled out onto the streets.

Octavia rolled down the window and rested her elbow on the door, eyes locking on certain interesting things they passed. Her fiery golden hair she kept down and tucked behind her ears in a semi-central parting got caught by the wind, and blown about her breeze-flushed cheeks. She tapped her lower lip with her thumb and stared at the passing skyscrapers, the setting so different to that of Cardiff or London.

"Tiring flight?" asked Sota, and Octavia turned to face him.

"Kind of," she answered, "I had an annoying passenger next to me."

"That's the worst. They make the trip even less enjoyable than it already is. Feeling jet-lagged yet?"

"Little early to be feeling jet-lagged, isn't it?" she asked with a raise of a brow, and Sota smirked.

"Just making conversation." he replied.

"I wasn't dissing you."

" _Dissing_?" he laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "I meant  _teasing_."

"I know what you meant, it's just a funny word is all."

"I guess it is kind of . . ." she agreed, turning her attention back to out of the car window.

The buildings seemed to get taller and taller, and every street looked the same. And not only that, everything looked crystal clean and pristine, though it probably wasn't on closer inspection. But as the car flew past the places, everything looked eerily whistle clean, and Octavia found herself longing for the shabby dirty streets of Cardiff, that stank of boats from the harbour or fish and chips.

When they finally got to the place where the Higurashi's lived, Sota parked the car at the bottom of a long flight of stairs up to what looked to be a shrine. Octavia got out and stared up at the long stone steps to the unknown. She slapped her freckled cheeks and gathered her hand luggage, Sota gathering the heavier things, and she made her way up the array of steps to the top.

At the pinnacle, there sat a dusty courtyard, a large main house, a couple of side shed buildings, and of course, the shrine and hanging bell itself.

With the little knowledge of Japanese culture and religion she knew, Octavia made her way over to the large bell and dropped her bags at her feet. She pulled on the thick rope, and clapped her hands together, before bowing and staring awkwardly at the rusty bell.

"Do you even know what this shrine's  _for_?" Sota's voice appeared behind her, and she held in the urge to jump in alarm.

She shook her head.

"It's luck. You ring the bell and ask for luck. You can make wishes too if you leave an offering."

"I think I'm good for now," she said, "I'm not really big on the mystic of wishes in  _real_  life, you see."

"I get it. You're a non-believer, that's cool. You are from another country that has a whole different religion at its core. But you can never go wrong with a simple wish."

 _Magic_. A simple wish. Was there even such a thing as a  _simple_  one? Wishes in stories and films were always shown to be so complicated and holding great consequence if asked for incorrectly. Could there really be such a thing as a simple wish?

"I wouldn't really know what to wish for . . ." she brushed off with a shrug, lifting her bags and following the young man into the main house.

Once inside, they were met with a woman who sounded awfully like the woman Octavia had spoken to on the phone, and she flung her arms around the visitor and smiled. Unlike Sota, however, she spoke in strong Japanese. Thankfully the language was one of the collection Octavia had learned over the years, so she was able to understand what was said.

"How lovely it is to meet you!" she exclaimed upon release, "I'm Higurashi Akane, in case you didn't know already. Or you could just call me Akane-san."

"Hey. I'm Octavia, as you already know." the girl said with a smile, her own Japanese fluent.

Akane Higurashi's smile widened, if such an occurrence was even possible, and she clasped her hands together. "Well Octavia-san, you must be hungry. How about you drop your bags off in your room, and I'll make dinner."

"Okay."

"Your room is the first on the right when you get to the top of the stairs. Sota will show you and help you carry your things."

Sota leaned down and picked up the majority of her bags, her suitcase already in one hand, and nodded at her to take the lead. She climbed the stairs and stopped at the first room on the right, and waited for Sota to catch up.

"I can take some off you if you want?" she asked, but he only laughed.

"I've been shopping before with my girlfriend, Hitomi." he chuckled, "This is nothing." He opened the door to the room with his foot and carried the bags inside, Octavia following.

The colours inside startled Octavia, and she blinked at the vividness of it. The walls were a bright pinkish purple, complemented by deep pink rugs and purple curtains, and the floor was the brightest mint green Octavia had ever laid eyes upon. It was like walking into a colour spectrum, everything so bright and intense, and feeling like you were in greyscale compared to it.

She was secretly glad there was a bed against the wall, instead of a futon. And by the bed on the billboard above, were photographs and notes pinned there. Pictures of schoolgirls, graduations, parties, outings . . . Akane and Sota, Octavia recognised, but there were several people in the pictures she hadn't seen upon arrival. An old man, a younger man who resembled Sota quite a bit ( _perhaps his dad?),_  and a girl.

A girl with long black hair and green sailor uniform.

"Whose room is this?" she asked staring at the photos.

Sota put a particularly heavy bag down on the bed. "It used to be my sister's.  _Kagome's,_ " he answered.

"Will she mind that I'm using it?"

"No. She hardly ever comes around anymore."

"Where is she?"

The young man failed to meet her gaze, and a solemn expression fell on his face. For a minute Octavia's heart sank with the sudden thought that this Kagome Higurashi might have died. But Sota's eventual answer eased that worry, and she almost breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's away traveling." he said, "Hong Kong . . . France . . . Germany . . . Everywhere. She sends a postcard every now and then, but she doesn't come around much anymore."

"I see."

"So she won't mind you using her room at all. She hardly ever comes around anymore. Now I'll leave you to do whatever it is you girls do to freshen up, and I'll see you at dinner later."

Octavia watched him retreat out of the room and down the stairs, with an uneasy feeling. His explanation was decent, but there was something about the way he kept repeating that one sentence that made her not entirely believe him. Not that there was any particular reason  _not_  to, she just didn't really believe him. But what reason would he have to  _lie_  in a situation like this?

The answer to that question came in the form of a discovery that next day. Where a lot of things were set in motion, and the clocks were set to eight.

 _Octavia_. Meaning, eighth born. Eighth Hour.

Eighth  _mystery_ , waiting to be unfolded.

.

.

The next morning was warm for the early days of February, and Octavia stirred in the bed she was sleeping and arose. White light streamed in through the blowing curtains, a morning breeze blowing in through the open window, catching the curtains and making them dance like fine purple silk. Octavia got up and went to restrain them, when something outside in the yard below caught her attention.

The old man from the pictures, clad in traditional Shinto shrine attire, was wandering over to a shed across the property. He walked with a surprising amount of speed in his steps for such an elderly character, and ventured into the curious little shed. There was a way about his quick movements that made him look rather suspicious, and that heavily intrigued Octavia.

She had always been one for mysteries, as well as magic.

So she got up, dressed, washed her face, tried to sort her wild bedhead of orange locks, and darted down the stairs to the outside. But of course, she collided with something on her way down, though  _what_  that something was, was an even bigger mystery than what the old man was up to.

Landing at the bottom in a heap, groaning and rubbing her backside, she turned to see what she had tripped over. And saw the fattest cat she had ever seen curled up on one of the steps, staring at her with lazy yellow eyes. It stretched, yawned, and clambered up the stairs, tail swishing as it did.

"Watch where you fall asleep, you silly cat," she muttered under her breath, and dashed out to the little shed outside.

The building was odd. Old wood chipping at the edges where the pieces joined, rotting wood joined together over the entrance like a cage. And there was something altogether eerie about it, like it was staring at her. She shook off the feeling and balled her fists. There was a shuffling coming from inside, probably from the old man, and Octavia was curious.

 _Curiosity killed the cat_ , her friends would always say when she got like this.

Sleeping on the stairs where people could trip over you was what was more likely to kill the cat, she thought. Not curiosity.

She opened the double doors with a creak and stepped inside the dark room. Something broke as she did and a startled yelp could be heard. The figure of the old man emerged from the shadows and he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Who are you?" he stuttered, "What are you doing in here!?"

She raised her hands in defense. "Don't freak out! I'm Octavia. I'm from England. We're related. I came here yesterday, I'm not some stranger trying to attack you. Please don't freak out."

He calmed right down and regarded her with a careful expression, hand coming up to stroke his small beard. "Ah . . ." he said in realisation, "So  _you're_  the Petridis girl. You speak fairly well Japanese to say it's not your first language."

"Yeah. Um . . . Sorry I scared you."

"It's fine! We haven't met yet because I was out selling charms for the past few days. I'm Jirou. Jirou Higurashi." He held out a wrinkled hand, shaking from years of arthritis, and Octavia shook it firmly, as if she was trying to shake the illness right out of it.

"I saw you sneaking in here from the room I'm staying in," she explained, "And wanted to see what you were doing. Forgive me if I intruded."

"Oh not at all! I was just clearing out some boxes in here."

Octavia's gaze traveled to behind him, and she stepped further in to investigate. At the center of the room, there was a small boarded up dry well, coated with a fine layer of dust just like the rest of the room. The boxes Jirou was supposedly clearing were covered in that same dust too, but unlike on them, the surface of the wood covering the well had thumbprints on it where the dust had been wiped with contact.

She reached to lift the lid when Jirou's hand came and stopped her.

"Come now," he coughed awkwardly, "Why don't we go back inside now. No one is really supposed to be in here. Not even me really."

"Why not?" she asked.

He gave no answer, just led her out and closed the wooden doors, before making his way back to the house. Octavia stood outside the shrine, blinking in confusion. Her gaze shifted back to the closed doors, and after passing a glance to see if the old man was out of sight, she turned and re-opened the doors.

She stepped back inside and closed them behind her, a gleam appearing in her eyes with an unknown excitement. There was something about the whole scenario that was sending a thrill through her body, and she was loving it.

Slowly, she walked over to the boarded up well and put her hands on the dusty wood, fingers brushing the fine grains. She reached under and pulled the lid away, placing it down on the floor and staring down into the dark abyss of the well below. The stone walls were broken, worn, and weeds were sprouting from the gaps. A strong musky smell of dirt rose from the pit, but it didn't belittle Octavia's excitement.

Something from deep down in that old well was pulling. Calling her to come,  _come_. Come where? That, she didn't know, but it didn't stop the calling.

Her fingers reached down unconsciously, and her heart thrummed.  _Thump, thump._

 _Come_.

"What are you doing, girl!?"

Jirou Higurashi's harsh call snapped the trance she was in. She pulled in her hand and turned to face him, expression almost guilty as she avoided his gaze.

"Sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed to be caught.

He shook his head and gestured for her to come.  _Come_. Come  _where_ , though?

She followed him back out and into the house, and tried to push all thoughts of the strange well and its pull out of her head . . . Only with no avail. Everything she did would lead back to the nagging feeling she felt, and it was actually becoming pretty frustrating when she was trying to get something done. So finally, with a huff of annoyance, she got out her paints. Laying a canvas down on Kagome's floor, she poured out the brushes and got to work.

Painting what? Painting that damned well, of course.

The colours bled into one another with every firm stroke of the brush, and browns became blues, and greys became greens. By the end of the product, which took very much all day, the picture didn't really resemble the eerie and faceless well that seemed to be lying dormant and waiting for something. Calling silently.

In the picture stretched out before her, blue sparks erupted from the pit of the well in the form of rough paint splattering, and the effect made it seem almost like the old well was  _alive_.

Alive and beckoning.

 _Come_.

Trying not to get too freaked out, Octavia slid the wet canvas to the side and crawled into bed. She had hoped to finish a few more chapters of the book she was reading, but it was already way past dark out. And Jirou had offered to show her some insight into the family scrolls and the roots of the Higurashi and Petridis bloodline. So ignoring the irritating feeling deep inside, she pulled up the blanket and closed her eyes, giving herself to the one known as sleep.

 _Come_ , it called, and she fell.

.

.

When Octavia awoke, it was the dead of the night and there were no sounds for miles, apart from the faint buzz of late night traffic. But something had stirred her from the realm of sleep, called for her to wake up.

Something outside drew her attention, and she sat up and went to the window. Pulling back the still purple curtains, her eyes fell on the shrine shed across the yard, and her eyes widened at the sight of what she saw down there.

The tiny shack was lit up like a beacon, bright light shining through the cracks in the wood and paper windows. A light so bright she was surprised it hadn't woken anyone else in the house. What was the source of the light? A mystery. And Octavia loved mysteries.

Not bothering to change out of her white cotton nightgown, she hurried down the stairs quietly (this time checking for any fat cats lounging around), and shoved her feet into her strong brown platform boots. Opening the door hatch with a quiet  _clink!_  she snuck out into the yard and closed the front door behind her.

The night air was cool on her face and blew through her untamed strand. Wishing she had put on a coat, she jogged across the yard to the brightly glowing shrine and closed her eyes with the intensity when she got within a few feet of it. She reached out and pulled open the doors carefully . . . And the light went out.

The inside of the shed was a dim as ever, shadows lined along the walls and objects inside, and for a moment Octavia was sure she must have just imagined it. For such a phenomenon was surely that of a dream?

But then she felt it.

The pull of a cold draft blowing at her feet.

The small breeze caught the hem of her nightdress and made it dance at her knees, tickling her bare legs and sending goosebumps all up her flesh. And tucking several stray strands of hair behind her ears . . . She walked in.

It was silent, and somehow colder inside than out, making her rub her palms up and down her bare arms. Her feet carried her over to the well at the center of the room, the one she'd just previously painted on a canvas upstairs. Only it lacked the vibrant colours and brushstrokes the one in her painting had, and looked exactly what it was. An old dry well.

She put her hands down on the lip of the well and stared deep into its depths.

"What are you . . . ?" she whispered.

Now, of course, Octavia wasn't expecting an answer from an inanimate object, but it was a sort of answer she got. Sometimes if you called into the abyss, it called back. In the form of blue lights bursting into life at the pit and jolting up into the air she breathed. Like fireworks. The sparks hissed and exploded when they collided, and Octavia jumped in shock. Only instead of falling backward in her shock like any other person would . . . She fell  _forward_. Into the light-spouting well, like Alice down the rabbit hole.

And fall, she did.


	2. Like magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Sesshoumaru...

It would be an understatement to say that what happened next was merely shocking. Because it was the most unbelievable thing that could have possibly  _ever_  happened.

But the first thought that crossed Octavia's mind on it, was that it was pleasantly  _warmer_  than it had been before.

She sat up in the pit of the well she had fallen into and groaned, rubbing her sore back and thighs. The floor was dirty, and it was certain that her white nightdress would be brown and dusty on the backside area.  _Great_ , she frowned. At least she could just run across to the house and change, and hopefully, no one would see her in the dark.

At least that's what she told herself as she stood and began to clamber up the vines snaking up the stone walls, her boots scraping against the surface and sending tiny pebbles falling down. Her first thought returned to her then, as she was climbing, and sweat began to gather on her brow. It was hot. Too hot for this time of the year, and at night time. Did this shrine have busted central heating? Somehow she doubted that was the case, and it wasn't long before she had the answer to why it was so oddly hot.

She finally reached the top of the well and hauled herself out over the edge. The first thing she noticed that was wrong, however, was that the room looked a lot  _cleaner_  than it had before. A thought crossed her mind that maybe she had hit her head and fallen unconscious after she'd stumbled in, and it was the next day after Jirou Higurashi had cleaned or . . . Whatever . . .

But no sunlight streamed in through the thin paper windows of the shrine, only darkness. And a new kind of silence stretched out. No distant traffic, no buzzing of electricity poles,  _nothing_. And it seemed to be getting hotter by the minute, and Octavia was glad for her thin cotton night dress.

Slowly, with a limp she'd gained from falling, she walked over to pull open the double wooden doors. They opened remarkably easy, lacking the old creak they'd had before, and also surprisingly  _clean_  like the rest of the shed. She opened them fully and stepped out into the warm night . . . Into a very different setting entirely.

Where the main house and other buildings had once been, there were  _trees_. And more trees, and bushes, and long grass.

She stepped back onto her bad leg in shock and winced at the brief pain. The shrine was sort of the same, but the surrounding area  _certainly_  wasn't. She doubted she'd been unconscious long enough for a whole  _forest_  to grow outside! So what the hell was going on?

"I think the main house was . . . This way?" she mumbled to herself, looking in different directions, all that held the same view.

Taking a wild guess, she strode on over long grass and twigs, into the trees and shrubbery. The path had long overgrown, and vines hung from the trees like a scene from Tarzan. Every step felt like Octavia was wandering even further away from what she knew. Into wild territory. The unfamiliar.  _Mystery_.

Sounds in the trees sent her heart thumping wildly, but she shrugged them off as birds or other animals. She was still trying to comprehend where on earth she'd ended up.

But then it occurred to her that maybe all of this was just some big elaborate dream.

Of course, that's what it was. A dream. Just something her mind had conjured up from all that reading she'd been doing. Her imagination had to have gone wild recently, so what else did she expect? This was completely normal. Normal like her life, like her, like everything.

But boy . . . Did this feel real for a dream. She'd had dreams before that felt pretty real, but  _this_. . . This was on a whole other level. The temperature penetrated her skin in a way a dream surely couldn't, and the sounds around her seemed too intact; too crisp in her ears. Not to mention her vision was perfectly clear, lacking that fuzzy quality a dream had, as if one were watching an illegal pirate copy of a movie online.

But it couldn't be real, she thought, extending a hand to rest against a tree trunk. It wasn't physically possible. Things like this only happened in stories.

It was like magic.

And magic, fantasy, and mystery only existed in stories. Octavia knew that better than anyone.

After an hour or so of walking blindly through a forest at night on a bad leg, Octavia considered it might be best to go back and wait at the shrine, where it was the most familiar. But a light in the distance stopped her from doing so. So instead, she limped in the direction of it and came out into a small clearing.

There was a campfire lit at the center, and laid around it were an interesting array of things. A dragon/horse creature with two heads laid on its stomach beside the fire, beside something green which looked to be a small water imp from Japanese folklore . . . And a little girl. Just a normal, little girl, with wild black hair and a purple dress, who must have been in her mid-teenage years from the looks of her. They were all sleeping soundly, their breathing even and calm, as if nothing in the world could ever go wrong. They were strange; alarming even, but they were the first life forms Octavia had seen, and she desperately wanted to know where she was. But when one of the dragon's two head's eyes flickered open and came to fall on her, she stumbled back on her bad leg again and winced silently.

It stared at her across the clearing with its gleaming yellow eye, monstrous face bathed in the light of flickering flames. Sinister,  _dangerous_. Whispering . . .  _Stay back._

Octavia turned to make a run for it, but of course came face to face with  _another_  creature. A creature that at first, she could have sworn was human, but another glance confirmed that was not the case at all . . .

He was the most frightening thing she had ever seen. The fur of a dead animal draped across his shoulder, long silver hair—dyed almost orange in the deadly light of the fire—and piercing amber eyes, so narrow they were just slits. The double stripes on his cheeks were a deep magenta, jagged and sharp in the dim light, and he bore a crescent moon emblem on his forehead, giving him a sort of regal appearance. Like he was a god.

And he was impossibly  _beautiful_ , in an ethereal, and godly really, way. With his sharp jaw and strong cheekbones, and impossible colouring. He was dangerously beautiful, like the kind of beauty from forbidden love stories.

But that didn't change the fact that he was absolutely terrifying.

He stared at her at their close proximity, the blaze in his eyes making the fire seem like a useless dying ember, and Octavia almost trembled on the spot. But she wouldn't. Because somehow, she had a feeling that was what this strange creature wanted.

". . . What are you?" she whispered in English, mirroring her question to the Higurashi shrine's well earlier.

His narrowed eyes widened ever so slightly at the question, but only for a second as his brows came down further and he frowned. It didn't do much to make him seem any friendlier. She didn't think there was really anything he could do that would make him seem any friendlier.

"You do not speak the language of these lands." he stated finally, in  _English,_  she was surprised to note.

Whoever this man-beast was, he understood the tongue of her homeland.

"Neither do you," she said quietly.

He regarded her more carefully, eyes staring her up and down, calculating and eerie. Octavia felt uncomfortable under his sharp gaze, but merely balled her fists and drew her mouth into a firm line. She wouldn't back down from a figment of her imagination, no matter how scary it may be.

"Sorry for sounding a bit forward, but could you tell me where I am?"

He stared at her with more intensity, something flashing in his eyes that was akin to cold curiosity.

Curiosity killed the cat, you know.

"Why not ask those of your species?" he asked.

She blinked. "Are you implying you're not human?" she questioned with furrowed brows, tone slightly light as a smirk threatened to tug at her lips.

It was almost a joke, but the look she reviewed in answer chilled her to the very bone. He certainly didn't  _look_  human, but she hadn't expected him to be anything but. Not  _really_. So the question was, if he wasn't human . . .

What  _was_  he?

He didn't answer. Just kept staring at her, with those sharp, scarily beautiful eyes of his. She hadn't really expected a verbal answer after his dark change in expression, but she still wanted to try probe one from him.

"Okay . . . So what are you?"

She saw his mouth curving slightly, as if he was going to smirk. But he didn't.

"What do you think . . . ?  _Human_."

Octavia's mind traveled to every story she'd ever read. Every twist, every plot, every development. And she couldn't help but think of the scene between the alluring vampire Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in the first book, though she never really had liked Twilight all that much. But things like that can come to you sometimes, even if you don't particularly like them.

_I know what you are._

_Say it._

"Are you a vampire?"

He seemed genuinely surprised at that, and his brows quirked up in a sort of amusement. His mouth twitched, and she swore she saw a flash of fangs, further confirming her suspicion, and she raised her brows for an answer.

" _That_  was the first thing that came to your foolish puny mind?" he asked finally.

"Puny mind?" she repeated with an open mouth. "Excuse me? I'll have you know I'm an aspiring writer, thanks very much."

"Oh? Not simply caring for any future offspring you produce for your partner?"

_Why you sexist little . . ._

Her blood boiled. Octavia wasn't usually one to get fiery, but in this case, she could make an exception. If there was one thing that riled her up, it was men like this, human or not.

"And who are you exactly to be acting all high and mighty?" she asked, all traces of fear gone. "What gives you the right to say things like that? Why're you so special?"

He snorted then.

Octavia's anger faded, and her cheeks burned with embarrassment that he was treating her like some brattish child.

"You really do not know what I am . . ." he stated rather than asked, his voice distant and holding something that sounded a little like intrigue.

"Then why don't you tell me?"

He stared at her intently. Deeply. With those chilling, calculating eyes. Like he was trying to pick her apart on the spot, trying to see inside and work out just who and what she was. Like she was some kind of mystery to be cracked open and solved.

". . . Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Octavia turned to see the sleeping child—now awake—standing beside the two-headed dragon and looking over at her and the snarky, apparently not human stranger sleepily.

"What's going on?" she asked, her big brown eyes blinking the sleep out of them. "Who's that girl you're talking to?"

She spoke Japanese, so thankfully this wasn't another planet she was dreaming up.

Oh yes, a dream. She'd been so caught up in her fiery spat with whatever-his-name-was here that she'd completely forgotten this was all a dream. He was mighty convincing for a figment of her imagination. But not convincing enough to scare her completely.

The little girl stared at her with awe then, her big eyes wide and glittering.

"She's pretty . . ." she said more to herself than anyone, and Octavia felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks at the comment.

Things like that didn't get said to her every day. And it was . . . Well . . . Flattering. Even if the person passing the compliment wasn't really real.

"Go back to sleep, Rin." the 'vampire' said in Japanese, "Everything is alright."

'Rin' nodded and laid back down without another word or complaint, and before long she was asleep. But the dragon still kept watching with its sharp yellow eye, making Octavia shudder under its gaze. It was looking at her in the same was as whom she presumed was its master. Like she was something curious . . . Or she just looked like something to eat.

"Shouldn't you be on your way, human?" he reverted back to English when talking to her.

She turned back to him. "Well actually, like I was saying earlier, I don't know where I am. So I wouldn't know where to go back  _to_. And stop calling me  _human_. It's creepy. It makes you seem creepier than you already are. Creep."

Maybe she shouldn't have said that.

His eyes darkened and she did shiver then.

"You should watch your mouth when talking to me, or I might have to rip out that little tongue of yours. Address me properly next time . . .  _Human_."

"I would if I knew  _how_  to address you."

"You need not know the identity of I, for I have no interest of encountering you again. So hurry along. There is a village to the east of here, they can assist you. Be gone."

Sexist  _and_  rude.

Ignoring his frightening appearance and attitude, she smiled sarcastically. "Thank you." she said, "That's perfectly fine with me because I have no interest in sticking around you anyway. So bye."

As her back was turned and she began walking in the direction of what she thought was east, he spoke again.

"You should be grateful I did not slit your throat on the spot for your awful behaviour . . . And that is south you are walking, not east."

"Sorry I don't have a compass on me." she remarked dryly.

"You cannot use the stars?"

She turned her head back to him. Suddenly all that daydreaming she did in class didn't seem all that great anymore with the smug look he was giving her. She could use the stars to navigate if she wanted to. How had they done it in all those books again . . . ?

He looked down at his nails which,  _woah!_ Happened to be very long and sharp looking. Almost like . . .

Claws.

Maybe he wasn't a vampire after all. The hair, the eyes, the markings, the fur . . . Was he a werewolf? Too many YA fantasy works were stored in Octavia's brain, things that really didn't need to be up there. Perhaps if she'd read what was in the Higurashi scrolls instead earlier that day, she might've clicked on just what this creature was. But of course, fate would have it differently, for that path would have made the upcoming journey too easy.

"Pitiful." he spat, "Typical stupid human."

"And I suppose you're all knowing on star astrology and constellations and scientific life cycles then?" she challenged. "Go on then. What's the square root of pi?"

He looked up from his claws then and regarded her again, with that same interest. Like she was something he'd never seen before.

"Such strange words for a silly little human girl," he said finally, "Strange language, strange behaviour, strange  _clothing . . ._  Just whom  _are_  you?"

She smirked. "You 'need not know' who I am, because I don't want to see you anytime again after this." she mirrored his wordplay, and his brows actually shot up in pure astonishment.

Octavia laughed then, a proper, genuine laugh that changed his expression again.

Dusting off her dress, she spun and began walking in the proper direction of east, satisfied grin fixed on her features. Her boots clanked along the soft grass, dew droplets gathering on the soles and laces, and she let them carry her away from the rude alien stranger. She could feel his golden eyes on her as she walked away, but she didn't turn back. But she still couldn't help the nagging question at the back of her mind she didn't deny she wanted an answer to.

_What are you?_

.

.

The sun was starting to rise by the time Octavia was about half a mile away from where she'd left the odd supernatural camp, and a few hours after she'd remembered her swollen ankle. Her body was covered in a layer of sweat, hair plastered to the sides of her face and down her neck, and her knees were scraped and sore from where she had fallen several times.

A snap of a twig from behind caused her to swivel around and see the two-headed dragon from before standing on the overgrown path. On its back sat the little girl called Rin, and the water imp was awake this time, standing on the ground beside them both, carrying a large Gandalf stick.

"Why're you following me?" Octavia asked, but then realised they may not understand her as their friend had. So she repeated the question in Japanese.

"Sesshoumaru-sama told us to!" Rin beamed, and that set the imp off for some reason.

"Silence, girl!" he squawked, "Don't speak to her so freely! She could be anyone! And now she knows Sesshoumaru-sama's name!"

"But Jaken-sama . . . I said it last night in front of her. And  _you_  just said it again now."

"Oh, be quiet you insolent child! This is hardly the time for your smart comments!"

Octavia stared at the stupid but hysterical scene before her with wide eyes. Oh yeah. The girl had said that name at some point last night when talking to the vampire.

 _Sesshoumaru_.

What a mouthful. She didn't even want to try to think how it was spelled.

"Excuse me?" she asked, stopping the lunatic behaviour. "Why did this . . . Sesshoumaru ask you to follow me?"

This time the imp, Jaken—Rin had called him, answered. "That's none of your business, human! His orders are final and no one challenges them!"

"Well, actually it  _is_  my business, since it's me you're following."

One of the dragon's heads snorted at that, and Jaken's jaw fell open. He seemed very offended at her attitude, even though it hasn't been all that rude what she'd said. Perhaps he was used to more lengthy offensive comments, and not the quick snappy ones she had grown up using.

But ignoring that, she still didn't exactly know what these things  _were_. They certainly weren't human, if Sesshoumaru wasn't.

Whilst Jaken was wildly stuttering, Rin climbed down from the back of the dragon and bounded over to Octavia, despite the imp's protests. She stopped in front of the girl and clasped her hands together behind her back.

"I'm Rin." she said with a wide smile, "What's your name?"

"Octavia."

That seemed to impress the little girl even more, and her eyes filled with even more awe. "That's a pretty name!" she exclaimed, and Octavia felt colour creeping into her cheeks again at the compliment.

"Thank you." she murmured, and Rin giggled.

"I've never met anyone called that before. And I've never seen anyone with hair the colour yours is. And your eyes are pretty rare for a human as well! They're so green and shiny . . . I've never seen you around here before, are you new? Did you come from somewhere else? Your clothes are weird, they look like Kagome-neesan's. Do you know her? Ooh, and your shoes are so cool!"

There it was again, use of the word  _human_. Was Rin not human either?

"Rin . . ." Octavia started, cutting off the girl's frantic speech, "You are human, right?"

Rin burst out into even more giggles at that and swirled around in her silk purple kimono. "Of  _course_  I am!" she sang, "I'm the only human in this group. I've just re-joined them after living in a human village for a while, but I preferred traveling with them so I came back. It's a lot more fun with them!"

"So if they're not human, what are they?"

"Why, Youkai, silly!  _Demons_!"

She answered like it was the simplest answer in the world, and there was nothing weird about things like demons being in existence.

What would the Internet have to say about this? And the press? This must surely have gone viral by now.

But then Octavia remembered again that this was a dream, and there was little logic in a dream. Surely this one would end soon? It had been long enough already. Surely soon it would be time to wake up and go see old man Higurashi, to go over to the family scrolls.

Surely?

". . . Demons?" she repeated, letting the word roll off her tongue slowly. "Actual . . . Proper,  _real_  demons?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well aren't they, you know . . . Not real?"

Rin seemed confused at that. "Huh?" she blinked.

"Aren't they just myths? Stories?"

"Well look around you. If they are stories, there's a whole lot of them." Rin gestured around the forest, and Octavia followed her moving finger.

In the place of where cicadas would be in high summer . . . were creatures Octavia had never seen before. Creatures from fairy tales, and movies, and other general works of fiction.

Birds with multiple eyes, scaled tripe-headed lizards, glowing creepy crawlies, etc. It was unreal. She spun her head around, staring up into the green canopy and studying every form of life in sight. There were colours of blue, pink, red. Terrifying beasts, but beautiful as well, in a dark and twisted way. Insects with forked tongues—beetles, spiders, centipedes . . .

Monsters.

Real  _monsters_. And it was upon seeing them that Octavia thought they looked a little too un-dreamlike. And a little more . . .  _Real_  like.

And suddenly things didn't feel that much like a dream anymore.

"Now do you see?" asked Rin with a wide grin.

 _Do you see the monsters from all those bedtime stories?_ Seeing is one thing, but do you believe in them, truly? Surely not? Surely . . . ?


	3. What are you?

The first time Octavia had ever been truly afraid was when her social worker had taken her on an outing to meet new potential parents, all of which she hated.

They'd been in a huge shopping mall, and Octavia must have only been about five years old at the time. One second the woman in charge of her had been there holding her hand, and the next . . . she was gone. Vanished almost into thin air, and the little girl with fire-orange hair had been struck with the feeling of pure terror.

Dread.

Of being alone.

That was the most frightening thing for Octavia Petridis. Being  _alone_. Being technically an orphan, there had never been any constant family figures for her, so she'd never really been any true portrayal of familial love. It was lonely,  _frightening_. She used to watch other kids with their parents, and wonder what it would be like if someone showed up one day and treated  _her_  with that same level of care and affection.

So when young Octavia had spotted her social worker in the crowd, she'd bounded over so fast and thrown her face into the woman's legs . . . And wept. For everything she didn't, and couldn't, have.

But this wasn't that time, and Octavia wasn't a lonely little toddler anymore. She was a girl cast out into a world she'd thought was no more than an aspect of her dreaming mind, where monsters and magic roamed the plains. Where everything she'd once thought impossible now was possible.

And she was alone.

Literally so alone, she may as well be in another time entirely.

But only unlike last time, she wouldn't cry now. Not in front of all these mythical creatures, and the smiling little girl known as Rin.

Not now.

"Where do you come from, Octavia-san?" Rin asked merrily, walking beside her with her famous grin plastered onto her features like a little endlessly grinning doll.

"England. It's a . . . country way across the seas in Europe. I was born and raised there, but originally my family is from Greece, hence the Latin name."

Rin gazed up at her in fascination. "I've never heard of those places. Is it nice where you live?"

"Parts of it." Octavia replied, "There's a pretty big difference in temperature climate there to here, but . . . It's actually kind of  _beautiful_ , in its own way. There's a quiet beauty to it, with its mountain ranges, and grassy hills, and scenery. But I like Greece or France more."

"You've traveled a lot then?"

"Yeah, I do. You don't?"

Rin shook her head.

"And you haven't heard of these places at all?"

Another shake of the little girl's head.

Jaken joined in then, and honestly, Octavia was surprised he'd stayed quiet the amount of time he did. "If you paid attention to the lessons Sesshoumaru-sama instructed you take, you would know about other lands like that!" he cried.

"Have you heard of this Ing Land _,_ Jaken-sama?" she asked curiously, and he stammered in embarrassment.

"Well of  _course_  I have!"

Octavia glanced back at him and flashed a knowing smirk. "Oh?" she said with feigned belief, "What've you heard about it then?"

"I-I-Well, I-I mean it's-Well . . . Er . . ."

"My. You certainly  _are_  knowledgeable." she praised with a false grin.

The two-headed dragon— _Ah-Un_ , Rin had referred to it as—let off another low rumbling sound, like laughter. Octavia let her gaze fall on the odd creature and felt a smile coming on. The creature was hideous, and still pretty half terrifying, but it didn't seem to possess any sort of malicious intent towards her. In fact with the chuckles it was giving every now and then, it seemed quite  _amused_  with her and her dry witty commentary.

She decided that was a good thing. Better than being seen as dinner at least.

"What are you doing here in Japan?" Rin turned her attention back to her, and Octavia tried to plan her response in her mind.

How did you answer a question like that? How did you say . . . _I don't know?_

_I fell down an enchanted well and somehow ended up in this odd place._

Somehow, that didn't sound like it would cut it, and she didn't want to be seen as an even weirder sort by these people, even if they were mostly demons. Or  _Youkai_ , as they'd been referred to several times now. Youkai.

"It . . . was an accident." she settled on. "It's weird and a little complicated, but really I'm just trying to . . ."

Trying to what? Go home? Why?

If this wasn't a dream, then why in the world would she want to go  _home_?

This place was unfamiliar, yes, and dangerous. But it was also  _exciting_. The chance to embark on a life in a world like this, like the heroes in books did . . . It was fantastic. It was new, fresh, and  _magical._  Everything she'd ever dreamed of. Why would she want to throw that away by going home to a life of painting freelance and trying to write up with some amazing novel of her own . . . when she could  _live_  in one?

"I just want to know where I am. And why I'm here."

Rin's grin widened (if such a thing was possible) and hopped up and down on the spot. "Then let's go see Kagome-neesan and Kaede-sama in their village!" she exclaimed, "They'll know what to do!"

"Are they in the village Sesshoumaru mentioned?" Octavia asked.

"It's the village to the east, by the sacred grounds of the battle of Naraku, and the Bone Eaters Well."

Octavia stopped dead in her tracks, and Jaken nearly ran straight into her from behind.

". . . What well?" she whispered.

Rin stopped too and stared. "There's a well just outside the village that has some kind of spiritual, supernatural essence. I don't really know entirely, but it has something to do with magic . . . and Kagome-neesan."

An enchanted well, with supernatural magic. Could it be the very same well from the Higurashi shrine? The very same well she'd fallen down and stumbled out of into this astounding world?

Wait a minute. Rin had said the name  _Kagome_. Octavia had heard that name somewhere . . . There was the old traditional Japanese song, but that wasn't quite what had set off the bells ringing in her head.

_Kagome . . . Kagome._

_When, oh when will it come out?_

_It used to be my sister's . . ._ Kagome's _._

 _Kagome_  Higurashi . . . Sota's absent sister!

It was only a name, but could it be . . . That this was where the daughter of the Higurashi family  _really_  was? That she too, had fallen down that mystical well and found herself here in this strange realm? It may be impossible, but it was a shot. A shot in the dark, maybe, but if it was a clue to what was going on, it was  _worth_  the shot.

"Show me the village," she said eagerly, "Take me to Kagome."

.

.

Walking in the direction of this Kaede's village had been a part of the plan. But as for getting attacked by an even more hideous creature than anything Octavia had already seen along the way?

That, not so much.

They had been strolling along the overgrown path, spirits as high as they could be given the circumstances, and Octavia was just starting to feel slightly at ease . . . When a disgusting ogre-like creature had to appear along the path, and for some reason, Octavia was the only one who reacted reasonably.

Rin stared up at the creature with a neutral expression, Jaken held up his Gandalf staff, and Ah-Un stepped into an attack stance. Apparently, these wild youkai popped up a lot around here, so it wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence.

This particular youkai was known as an  _Oni._ A viscous ogre demon, famous for killing travelers and kidnapping lush young maidens . . .

The rest of the tiny group seemed pretty confident, however, so Octavia forced herself to breathe and take a step back into the clear. She decided it was better to let the experts deal with this. Or just anyone who wasn't from another world entirely.

"Feel the wrath of the  _Staff of Two Heads_!" cried Jaken, slamming the foot of the staff into the ground.

Flames erupted from one of the heads at the top, firing in the direction of the Oni. The embers scorched the creature's flesh, emitting a sizzling sound on contact and turning said flesh a deep charcoal black, which cracked in several areas. It glared at their group with black soulless eyes, which eventually fell upon Octavia. And it licked its lips.

As it lunged forward, Jaken's staff apparently out of juice, Ah-Un leaped forward and pounced into the horrible thing, pining it with its claws. And then, with a flick of its scaled wrist, it plunged its claws into the eyes of the Oni and tore out several tendrils of bloody flesh.

Octavia felt her feet carrying her even further backward, whether it was out of fear or disgust she wasn't sure, but what she hadn't seen coming was the  _other_  giant Oni standing behind her. It threw its large arms around her and held on tight, its grip like a vice. She wriggled and squirmed, her actions doing nothing to help the predicament, and she even resorted to kicking the youkai's thighs and crotch area at one point. But the thing's body parts were made of steel, and her struggling only resulted in injuring  _herself_.

She seethed. This was ridiculous. She was trapped like a damsel in distress, waiting for a rescuer. Why couldn't she be one of those strong, independent females that saved themselves?

Because fate was a cruel mistress.

Or that's what she thought with a squeal as the Oni tightened its grip on her, and Rin cried out in panic. Jaken's staff still wasn't working for some reason, and Ah-Un was preoccupied with the creature's semi-dead friend. She squeezed her eyes shut.

There was no one. No rescuer to save the damsel in distress. No knight in shining armour, no saviour.

No  _hero_.

Never for lonely little Octavia.

"Ah!"

Rin's startled yet oddly  _relieved_  cry drew Octavia's attention, making her open her eyes cautiously, unsure exactly what she expected to see.

A slice through the air slashed the Oni holding Octavia captive in two, causing it to fall to the ground,  _dead_.

Something had killed it. Something had  _saved_  her.

It turned out that something was actually . . .

Some _one_.

Still on the ground on her knees, she tilted her head up to see a trail of sparks and green energy . . . flowing behind a white figure, with a cluster of pristine white fur slung across his shoulder like a single wing. Like an angel that wasn't quite worthy of true flight, but still possessing the potential to leap up and  _fly_. He landed on the ground and stepped off his peculiar cloud that rained stardust, and as he did, his snowy hair fell against his back like a curtain of long shimmering silk. Or a drape of starlight, on a dark night with no moon in sight, until he turned around and flashed the crescent moon symbol upon his brow. The God of the Moon and Stars himself.

He met her gaze, his eyes sharp and piercing as before, and if anything they seemed to have gotten even more golden. Like the riches of every land were stored in those alien irises of his, gleaming away to impress any who saw.

And  _impressed_ , Octavia was. She wouldn't lie about that. She thought anyone would be impressed if they saw a hauntingly beautiful man with long white hair and sharp amber eyes.

If they saw a handful of starlight tossed down onto the earth, in the form of a man.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken cried, rushing to his master's feet. "Thank goodness you came! If not for your heroic abilities this useless human would be tainted or dead! The wench should be forever grateful to you, milord!"

"She should," was all he said, a haughty glance in her direction.

And suddenly all trace of awe vanished from Octavia's system, and her eyes filled with a sharpness that could rival that of Sesshoumaru's. Something broke inside her then. Something snapped. A something she didn't even know was there, or what it was. But whatever it may be, it shattered like a broken mirror, and scattered out for miles around like a mystic jewel pierced by a flying arrow. And something was  _unleashed_.

She stood up.

 _Useless human. Wench_. Just who did these  _youkai_  think they were talking to?

Sesshoumaru's eyes had never left her, and he seemed to notice the change in her, because his brows quirked ever so slightly, and his mouth twitched. But this wasn't amusement like it was before. It was intrigue, but on another level. A genuine curiosity, wonderment, even. Of what she was thinking. Of what she was.

"A problem, human?" he asked lowly, dangerously. Like he was challenging her.  _Testing_. But challenging her to do what exactly? Throw a boot at him?

"Not at all," she replied with a withdrawn expression, ". . .  _Youkai_."

His eyes flickered, like flames.

She cocked her head to the side, a bird-like mannerism she'd developed since . . . Forever. A gesture that sung:  _What?_

Rin stood between the two, head bobbing from one to the other hysterically, confusion written all over her face. She looked like she wanted to interrupt this . . . thing that was going on, but thought better of it. The air was too tense to be sliced with a knife.

Sesshoumaru looked her up and down, brows furrowing eventually, and Octavia definitely saw his nostrils flare at some point.

He stepped forward then, much to her alarm and the others' puzzlement, and stopped literally right in front of her. He was at least a whole head taller than her, and he looked down his nose at her.  _Snob_ , she thought. His nostrils flared again, more aggressively this time, and it was then that Octavia realised he was confused. So he was . . .  _sniffing_  her.

Definitely a werewolf.

Not even his subjects seemed to understand what he was doing, and Jaken exchanged looks with Ah-Un. There was their master, standing in close proximity to a worthless human, sniffing her for some bizarre, inhumane reason. Because he was curiously confused?

Was this how Elena Gilbert had felt around her supernatural companions?

"Your scent," he said finally, "It has changed."

". . . Sorry?"

"Your natural scent holds traces of . . . old magic and spiritual energy."

Jaken piped up. "Is she a miko, milord? Like Inuyasha's wench?"

"A what?" she asked.

"A  _miko_." Rin answered, "As in a Shinto priestess, like Kaede-sama and Kagome-neesan. Are you one too?"

"Not that I know of . . . ?" She was starting to feel really uncomfortable about Sesshoumaru continuously sniffing her, so she took a step back.

 _Miko_. . . Since this was the first time she'd ever heard that word, she guessed that meant she wasn't one. A priestess. But what did that have to do with having the smell of  _'old magic and spiritual energy'_? Could these mikos perform magical displays of power?

Magic. The one other thing Octavia was sure couldn't possibly exist, now apparently also being crossed off the  _impossible_  list, along with fantasy.

Was there nothing in this world one couldn't do?

"You are not a miko," Sesshoumaru said finally, and she almost groaned in disappointment. Simply because it meant she wouldn't be able to do magic.

"How can you tell?" Rin asked, and his awfully blunt answer stained Octavia's cheeks a fine red tinge.

"Because one has to be  _pure_  to remain miko qualities." he said, "And this human is no longer . . . pure, as one would put it."

Octavia's face turned the colour of a blooming wild rose, and her mouth fell open at his comment. "Now just hold  _on_! I always thought that it didn't make sense how they knew things like that in the films, but that's plain impossible. You can't possibly know that after just looking or  _smelling_  me! It's not humanly possible."

" _Humanly_ , no."

"Yeah, but . . . come on. It's still not right. You can't just come out with things like that, it's embarrassing. Not to mention inappropriate. And rude!"

"I care not for your humiliation, or coming across as rude in your opinion . . . I merely wish to understand."

"Understand  _what_?"

"What you are."

_What are you?_

Was the answer to a question like that ever truly simple? No. And certainly not in this case. Answers to questions like that never were.

"I don't know what to tell you." she half laughed. "I'm just a plain human like you say. Just a human . . . In fact,  _you're_  the one I should be asking that question to. You  _and_  your 'youkai' followers."

Jaken freaked. "Don't be so disrespectful to Lord Sesshoumaru! He has right to put you down on the spot for your disobedience! Show a little gratitude for him saving your life!"

"Oh yes, you saved my life . . . But I'm afraid your arrogance and you acting like a total arsehole made me forget that little fact."

Steam was rising from the little water imp's head, and he was jumping around on the spot comically in panic.

Octavia knew she should stop . . . Knew this was foolish. But she  _couldn't_  stop. She was burning inside. Something had snapped, and the broken shards were screaming once rubbed together. And this hero figure was such a rude egoist, she honestly found it hard to feel any form of gratitude towards him. He had performed a good deed, with a  _terrible_  attitude.

Not very heroic at all.

She lowered her voice in front of Rin, and glared, lips parting to whisper . . .

"You're a rotten bastard."

He did react then, by reaching out and wrapping his hand around her neck. His fingers tightened and his claws dug into the flesh, causing her and the others to wince or gasp. She looked up at him with wide startled eyes, like a spooked deer, and his dusky expression only intensified.

Rin stepped forward but was stopped by Jaken, who shook his head and watched the fearsome scene unfolding with a worried expression.

Held, quite literally, under his grasp, Octavia considered her options.

She could beg for mercy and apologise for her behaviour, but that would make her seem weak and cowardly—the very things Sesshoumaru seemed to despise about humans. Or, she could try to run. But somehow she doubted she'd be able to get far without him cutting her down and truly ending her, so she crossed that off the list. It appeared that making decisions on the spot was a whole lot harder than fictional characters made it look. Especially choosing the right one, that hopefully would result in her not getting killed.

". . . You're not really going to kill me though, are you? I know how this works. You said it yourself. You want to know what I am. So what would killing me . . . really do to help that?"

He was beginning to resemble what she imagined a demon to look like now. Red bleeding into the whites of his eyes, and his teeth budding to lengthy points that curled over his lips. And he  _snarled_.

"It matters not." He said through gritted teeth, "You have become a bother."

"So you're just going to get rid of me for that? Is that what you do? Every time something bothersome comes along, you get rid of it?"

His scarlet eyes flashed again. "I do."

". . . Then  _you're_  the pathetic one."

Jaken drew a sharp intake of breath at that, and even Ah-Un looked uneasy. Rin was ogling with massive worried eyes, and clasping her hands together. But Octavia no longer shared that worry. She simply continued mercilessly.

"When a problem becomes too much effort," she said, "You just get rid of it. Isn't that, essentially . . . ? Giving up?"

"I do not surrender."

"Then what are you doing  _now_? You think this is noble? Because if you do, you're a fool too. An arrogant, stupid fool . . . And I think you know you are."

Cowards are always the ones that fight the hardest to prove they aren't.

"You're a coward, Sesshoumaru."

His eyes were wholly red now, and the once gold irises were now an eerie lightning blue.

". . . Vermin," he said quietly, grip tightening around her neck, and a warm liquid trickled down onto her collarbones where his talons had pierced. And she knew then he intended to end her, muddled and fascinated or not.

He would not think twice about slitting her throat open and painting the grass with her blood.

She brought a hand up suddenly and caught his wrist, and the momentary misperception that flickered across his features told her he hadn't been expecting her to do that. She squeezed his wrist, thumb brushing the magenta stripes parallel to those on his face, and stared at him unwaveringly. The confusion became even more evident in his face, and then was quickly replaced with  _alarm,_ as did  _her_  expression as her palm suddenly began to feel very hot against his skin . . .

Before he actually withdrew his hand from her neck and yanked it far out of her grasp, movements rapid. Like she was fire, and he had been burned.

He stared at her with murderous eyes, fist balled and stained with her blood. Stared like she was a flame, the deadly flame that was responsible for his burns inflicted. Like she was his kryptonite.

That comparison wasn't entirely far from the truth.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken stammered, "What's wrong!? What did she do?"

Sesshoumaru shifted his gaze down to his hand, and what he saw was remarkably shocking indeed.

Marked upon his striped wrist, raw and angry . . . Was a  _scorch mark,_ in the shape of a hand . . .

 _Octavia's_.

Whatever it was,  _she_  had done that to him, and she hadn't even known she was doing it. She didn't even know what she'd done, or how she'd managed to do it. She could only stare wildly at the spectacle, like everyone else, with a parted mouth and no explanation. No one dared speak, not that they could be blamed. Because previously ordinary human Octavia Petridis had managed to inflict a burn upon the all-powerful, fearsome, merciless killing youkai Lord of the West. And absolutely nobody knew how.

Except, perhaps, for  _one_.


	4. Eighth in the bloodline

Who would have known that silly little human female could be so irksome and plain vexing? And not to mention  _complex_? Or perhaps that was just this one particular human girl from the country across the seas, with the voice of a fighter and the burning touch of a paranormal entity.

Sesshoumaru, authoritative Taiyoukai and Lord of the West, and first son of the Inu no Taisho certainly hadn't thought such a thing to ever happen. But whenever he glanced down at the angry red singe upon his right wrist, there was no denying that there was something very magical about this one human. Only the explanation to what she was remained elusive to Sesshoumaru, and  _that_ , bothered him greatly.

"Who is Totosai?" the human asked, upon his declaration to go pay the old geezer a visit in the hope of gaining some insight into her.

"He's a demon swordsmith," Rin answered, "He's very knowledgeable and is sure to know something about . . . How you just did  _that_  to Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru mentally snorted. Surely there had to have been some mistake? There was no way the raging burn on his hand had been inflicted by that ordinary human girl. No possible way. She was exactly what she seemed, as she had put it— _just a human_. Nothing special, or powerful, or particularly of importance.

But there was  _something_  flickering away inside of her. Something hidden. Fierce, wild, untamed raw power. He'd smelled it on her clear as day. It was power, but it was unclear  _what_  power. Was it spiritual? Youkai? A complicated sort of magic that even the user wasn't aware of? Not knowing was highly infuriating, and Sesshoumaru wanted to find out the answer to the question, simply because of that. Then he could be done with the rude-mouthed little wench, who thought she had some kind of right to call out all those things at him.

She had been lucky for whatever she'd managed to do. And if it was left up to him . . . She wouldn't get lucky a second time.

They traveled for a while in the direction of where Totosai's mountain was; Rin, Jaken, and the maddening human on Ah-Un's back, whilst he flew on his own personal cloud. He didn't miss the way the English human's eyes seemed to dart to his cloud every now and then. Like she was fascinated with it, fingers itching to reach out and touch it, though if she did he would cut off those fingers of hers. She needed to learn her limits, and not exceed them.

When a large black mountain came into view, he amplified his speed and beamed straight onto its charcoal charred surface, Ah-Un following right behind with his passengers. And they stepped off onto the rough turf to begin walking to the bone carcass of a long-dead creature . . . Where the swordsmith, Totosai, dwelled.

.

.

The cloud flowing from Sesshoumaru's feet had been something of a fascination for Octavia's inquisitive eyes as they flew over vast valleys and mountains. She found that she just wasn't able to take her eyes of the mystical thing. It sparkled when caught in the sunlight, and whirled in rolling cottony clouds, ghosting the black of the youkai's boots delicately. Like they were caressing him. She wanted to reach out and touch the peculiarity but decided that keeping her fingers and not falling to her death from five hundred feet up in the air sounded more preferable. So she sat quietly on Ah-Un's back and listened to Rin babble on about something to do with massive dogs and demon swords.

Finally, they came to a large black mountain, its surface charred deep brown-black by what Octavia assumed was on one occasion flame. Like the aftermath of a great forest fire.

Sesshoumaru landed, and Ah-Un followed suit, lowering its body to allow its passengers easier leverage to get off. As she climbed down the creature's scaly back, she gave its neck a passing stroke with the palm of her hand, and the twin-headed lizard let out a thrum of coziness at the act. Apparently, dragon-like monsters from other worlds enjoyed a decent petting too.

The group followed Sesshoumaru up to a large bone corpse at the top of the hill, and Octavia felt more than a little uncomfortable around so many dead remains and the smell of rot. Whoever this Totosai was, he really wasn't skilled when it came to homely locations.

Sesshoumaru stepped forward towards the huge bone carcass and called out.

"Totosai. Come out before I'm forced to resort to violence."

". . . Alright, alright. I'm coming out,"

The responding voice had been strident and gravelly sounding, like its owner had been drinking far too much whiskey or gin. And the one who had spoken hobbled out of the bone-house shortly after, and Octavia blinked wildly at the sight of him.

Totosai—she guessed—was also likely not human, though unlike the other members of the youkai species, he thankfully happened to resemble normality slightly more. He was what looked to be an old man, with grey hair and a stubby equally white beard. His eyes, however, were comically huge, like two large ping pong balls that had been stuck to his head. His face bore lines and wrinkles of old age, and also held signs of stress.  _Probably from dealing with people like Sesshoumaru_ , she thought. Yet this old creature also held an air of insight and intelligence about him, and Octavia understood upon seeing him why Sesshoumaru had thought he might know something about her.

That very possibility seemed even more possible when the old swordsmith turned his gaze from Sesshoumaru to her, and his huge eyes widened even more.

"My my!" he cried, "What have we here?"

He hobbled towards her quickly, striped green attire swinging as he took a step, and walking supported by a large stick or blacksmith's tool of some kind. He stopped when he was less than half a meter away from her, and regarded her closely. He brought a hand up to rub his beard and hummed in thought.

"How peculiar . . ." he mumbled to himself. "Very peculiar indeed . . ."

"What is peculiar, you old fool?" Sesshoumaru asked vulgarly.

"Have you not noticed, boy? This girl holds traces of strong magic and mystical aura, though I'm pretty sure she is human."

"She  _is_  human. This is precisely what I have come to see you about."

Totosai addressed her directly then, and she jumped at his forwardness. "You! Girl! What's your name?"

"Ah . . . Octavia," she replied in Japanese, hoping that he wouldn't notice her partially broken accent and begin to draw more assumptions.

"And tell me,  _Octavia_ -shi. Where is it that you come from?"

". . . From a land far away from here; perhaps even another world."

" _Another world_? Oh, how fantastic!" He cracked up then and started laughing, throwing his hands around his belly and thrusting his head back to titter deafeningly. His laugh was hoarse and his breath came out in ragged little coughs, hardly the impression of glee.

This did little to amuse Octavia.

"Hilarious, I know." she said dryly, "But I have a serious problem on my hands, you see. I'm here in what might be another world, which I'm glad you find so funny, with no idea as to why or  _how_  I got here. So whilst you laugh away, I'll just stand here tapping my foot and waiting for an answer you might not even be able to provide."

He stopped laughing then.

"Blimey. She's almost as bad as you in this field, Sesshoumaru!" he exclaimed. "How much time has she spent in your influence? Too much already, I can tell!"

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "Do not spout foolish gibberish. Do you know anything of note about the girl or not?"

Totosai stated at Octavia again and rubbed his chin. "Give me your hand," he asked, and she did.

He ogled into her open palm and  _hmm'd_  every now and then. His fingers traced the lines of her palm, running along the creases like flowing rivers. The thoughts that flickered through his ping-pong eyes made Octavia feel similar to being read like an open book for a moment. Though she did not know how entirely accurate that passing thought was.

"Again, peculiar." he said finally, "And very  _interesting_."

"What's interesting?" she asked.

"Well according to these lines . . . You shouldn't exist, my dear. Or rather, you shouldn't exist  _yet_."

Jaken leaped on the spot. "What in the world does that mean!?" he cried.

"It means that this girl here originates from a different timeline entirely to ours. A timeline that has yet to begin to tick. Yet to happen."

"So you're saying she's . . . from the  _future_? Your blabbering is mad, old man!  _Mad_  I tell you! Just wait, one day-"

Sesshoumaru kicked Jaken in the face to silence him, and looked at Totosai with questioning regard.

"Octavia-shi . . ." Totosai said to her, "You are an impossible case, that shouldn't be in existence, and your soul sings of spirituality and old magic. A specific  _type_  of magic, I add."

"What kind of type?"

". . . Shikon magic."

A breath of shocked air left Rin's lips, and Jaken stammered. Even  _Sesshoumaru's_  usually monotonous expression faltered ever so slightly, and his eyes were only just a tiny bit wider.

"I'm sorry?" she shook her head in confusion, showing that she didn't understand the answer.

"Your aura is laced with that of  _Shikon energy_ —a powerful magic spanning centuries backward. Sesshoumaru and the others may recognise the word from the  _Shikon no tama,_  the Jewel of four souls. It was the object of desire for many humans and youkai for decades, but recent events left the Jewel destroyed for all eternity, all thanks to the effort of the partakers in the battle of Naraku."

Octavia had heard that last phrase before from Rin.

_The battle of Naraku._

What was it exactly? A war? But what was a Naraku? Or rather . . . Who?

"So what does this Shikon ordeal have to do with me?" she asked.

"I was foretold of something like this happening, many years ago. An ancient miko whose fight with the evil known as Magatsuhi was so great, she could only half succeed by trapping her self's and the evil's soul in a dimensional prison forever. Or more commonly known as the  _Shikon no tama_. A jewel with the ability to reflect the heart of its owner, containing both good and bad. A possession which, if fallen into the wrong hands, could mark the absolute destruction of these lands. You see, one day, a descendant of this ancient miko came to me, and warned me of the events involving the Jewel. I was told of a journey, a war, and a prophecy. The prophecy goes as follows.

_"When the shards have been scattered, de-shattered, and finally demolished, only then will the true power of the Shikon truly be unleashed, through the stone eighth born in the bloodline. The sky shall rain with flames, demonkind will erupt into ashes, and darkness shall fall."_

"I still fail to see how this links to the human," said Sesshoumaru flatly.

However, Octavia was for the first time just beginning to  _understand_.

The reason she was here. Why the well had called to her, why these strange things were happening. There was always a reason, like there was in stories. Because though uncommon, sometimes stories  _weren't_  just stories.

Sometimes they held an element of truth.

"Eighth born." she said, "That's what the prophecy said. The true power of the Shikon will be unleashed through the stone eighth born . . . Eighth born in the bloodline, with Shikon magic . . . The name, Octavia, means  _eighth born_."

Totosai stared at her gravely, and Octavia thought she saw the weight of what he saw for her shining in his eyes. And the intensity of it frightened her, the unknown aspect of it all. He looked at her in a way that the heroes and heroines got looked at in fantasy stories when the important information had been bestowed upon them. When they knew something wicked was about to happen, but would not tell for the sake of the plot.

She'd wished for an adventure. And the magic of the Jewel within ensured that no wish . . . was left not granted.

.

.

"Don't worry, Octavia-san. Kagome-neesan will be able to help you. She's from another place like you too! She'll definitely be able to help."

Octavia listened to Rin chatting away reassuringly beside her on Ah-Un's saddle, and tried to force a smile. The little girl's concern for her feelings touched her, having had no actual familial experience in her previous years. It was sweet, comforting.

"I'm not worried," she said, "Just a little overwhelmed."

"Well you did just get told you're a major part of an ancient legend, and that you have magical powers." Jaken croaked from the back. "It must be a lot to comprehend for an ordinary little human like yourself."

She decided to ignore how he had addressed her as  _little_ , even though he was only a quarter her height, and instead nodded.

"Can you use the magic Totosai was talking about? Was that what you did to Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked.

"I don't know."

"Why don't you go ahead and try–"

"Rin." Sesshoumaru's tone was clipped. Commanding. A warning of sorts, to Octavia.

_Don't try anything._

He was still sporting that fine scorch mark on his wrist, hidden beneath the right sleeve of his floaty clothing. Octavia smiled smugly, uncaring whether he saw or not. Though it may not be entirely obvious, she wagered that he was afraid of getting another on his left wrist at her hand, of being flawed by a puny little human. Laughter tinkled through her mind like silent bells, inaudible to any other than her. But somehow . . . Sesshoumaru seemed to  _know_  she was laughing at him inside her head, and he tilted his head to give her a sharp glower of menace.

She wiped the smug smirk right off her face and looked off in another direction, considering whistling innocently for comic effect. But she knew she wasn't fooling him. She was beginning to think that no one fooled  _him_.

"How far is it to the village?" she asked, changing the subject.

The layer of tension and sharpness in the air melted away, and Sesshoumaru turned his gaze back forward.

"A few hours away probably," Jaken answered, "It took us that long to get to Totosai's mountain. Why? Feeling  _afraid_  in the company of three frighteningly tremble-worthy youkai?"

" _Three_? I only see  _two_  that meet that description."

One of Ah-Un's heads chuckled again, the other giving its twin a compact look, whilst Jaken fizzed in anger. "You impudent wench! I am just as portentous as Sesshoumaru-sama and this docile two-headed beast! Watch your tongue next time when talking to me or I'll burn you to a cinder!"

"You'd best be careful when talking to Ah-Un," Rin warned.

Octavia grinned. "Yeah. You never know . . . You might just get thrown off."

This time both of Ah-Un's heads sniggered, and Jaken jumped up and down on the creature's back. There was a witty and surprising hilarity to the air of the scene, and Octavia found it oddly comforting, like Rin's earlier concern. She was no longer frightened in this strange world, nor did she feel as completely alone as before, though the sharp golden gaze directed at her occasionally from the front was still highly chilling.

They traveled for a while, before at some point Sesshoumaru began to fly down, and Octavia looked around for any signs of a village. Although there was still nothing but forest for miles around.

"I don't see any village?" she commented, "Where is it?"

"We aren't there yet. We're just setting camp for the night." Rin replied.

Surely enough, Octavia looked up at the sky to see the sun low behind an array of red and orange clouds; warm and setting. The imagery looked almost that of watercolour paint, and she longed to paint the picture with her brushes and palette. The sunset in this world was somehow so much more beautiful than the ones in her world. It was more vivid, brighter, and rawer.

A lot  _like_  a painting itself, actually.

The group landed on the ground and began gathering things for your typical camp—firewood, branches, logs, and countless kinds of berries and fruits Octavia had never seen before. After getting the fire going, it was already dark, and the sparks from the tiny fire rose up into the blackness like small gold stars, glowing in a picturesque custom. She found it fascinating how they appeared to be able to sprout invisible fiery wings and fly skyward, towards the luminous silhouette of the moon, and found herself oddly enough wanting to follow them on their journey.

At some point during their camp, Sesshoumaru had vanished from the company, leaving only her and his followers. Though his whereabouts remained unknown to all when she asked on the topic.

"Sesshoumaru-sama likes to go off on his own sometimes," Rin said, shoveling a few brightly coloured berries into her mouth. "He comes back eventually, so don't worry."

"And none of you know where he goes?"

"We have enough faith in our lord not to pry into his personal business! Cease your mindless prying, girl!" Jaken squawked overly defensively.

So Octavia withdrew from asking any more questions, and settled on eating the enthralling sweet fruits that had been picked for her, pushing all thoughts of the cryptic youkai out of mind . . . Until later that night when she lay there alone on the forest floor, night dress damp with mud and dew, and ruffled hair harbouring a few wedged leaves. It was in that moment she was alone, the rest of her company having fallen asleep, that thoughts of their elusive master resurfaced. She clicked the risen heel of her boots on the grassy turf as she pondered, and plucked out several strands of grass also as she lay gazing up at the vast night sky. The fire had long since gone out, leaving the clearing in complete darkness, apart from the pale glow of the moon and constellations above. It was as she was searching for familiar star signs in the sky . . . that the sound of boots crunching over earthy ground drifted into her ears.

Slowly turning her head in the direction of the sound, without getting up, Octavia's eyes fell upon the returning figure of what could only be Sesshoumaru.

He wandered back from the glooms of the forest like a shadow himself, and sat down in front of a large tree trunk. Though it was dark, Octavia could still pick out the distinctiveness of his features—his sharp glowing eyes, silver tresses eerily well-lit, and the plains of his face highlighted by both shadow and moonlight, giving them a much finer definition. He sat in a lotus position, gaze directed upward, with an arm propped up against his knee. The position gave Octavia a view of the wrist she had accidentally burned, magenta stripes like the ones on his face seared and scabbed with coarse, scorched flesh in the shape of her fingers. A hideous reminder that  _she_  had managed to do this to this lethal, bone-crushing presence.

As she was admiring the impossible yet undeniable loveliness of his features, his gaze flickered down to fall upon her, and she stilled. He stared at her with those narrow darkened eyes, tapping his claws against his leg like a lion waiting before making the kill, and she didn't dare breathe bizarrely. Though his staring was far from comfortable, and she'd much rather he returned it to the sky, his gaze lacked the cold menace it had before. Lacked the brutality and killing intent that had been observable, and Octavia found it very interesting how a person could have so many different forms of a leer.

So she just stared back from her position on the grass, cheek laid against the cool green blades, and hair fanned out around her like dim russet flames. That was all they did. Just watch one another. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Where did you go?" she asked quietly, breaking the quiet, remaining laid and unmoving.

". . . It matters not."

"Then why not tell? If it matters so little."

"I have no reason to explain myself to you, human."

Her lip convulsed. "No . . . I suppose you don't." she agreed, "After all, what would a man be without his feigned shadiness and persona? Human  _or_  demon."

He raised his chin and regarded her whilst looking down his nose, an almost snobbish action really. The sharp lines on both cheeks were symmetrical and dark, like knives, sharpened and ready to contest in battle.

". . . You speak such rare nonsense," he remarked.

"It can't be that much nonsense-like if you're still listening."

His eyes narrowed even more, only not maliciously. More out of bafflement. Like she was something inquisitive, something curious. Something he was trying to figure out. For a start, he would fare better if he called her by her real name instead of simply,  _human_.

"Why do you insist on avoiding using my name?" she couldn't help but ask since they were talking and his replies weren't coming out in the form of agitated grunts or snarls for once.

"Because I have no intention to do so."

"You call Rin by her name."

He lowered his head and stared more intensely. Octavia was glad the fire had gone out because of the blaze she saw in his eyes then, like a fury burning deep and hot inside. Or just a really bad temper. Simply at the mention of a petite human girl in his fellowship.

"You seldom address  _me_  by name," he pointed out lowly, "Nor do you add the respectable honorific on the end."

"That's different, I'm not Japanese and it isn't my first language. Besides . . . You have to actually  _earn_  my respect first in order for me to call you by a respectable title. And you haven't exactly earned that from me."

A low growl emitted from deep inside his throat, and she heard it from where she laid. But instead of quaking in fear like she would have done before, she merely suppressed a small betraying shiver, before breaking off into a quiet throaty laugh that surprised her and Sesshoumaru. His brow furrowed at her reaction, and she smiled sleepily.

While he might be deadly frightening and probably capable of slitting her throat in seconds . . . He still had yet to do just that. And she had already outwardly called him an arsehole. So she figured if he was going to end her existence, he would have done it by now.

"If you want to keep your secrets, that's fine by me. Everybody has secrets they don't want anybody finding out about." she said, "But find  _someone_  to share them with. Because if you don't . . . They'll pile up, and drag you down like a weight. And I know nobody wants that."

She turned onto her other side, facing away from the egotistical youkai, and stared into the dusty ashes of the once campfire. Just after her eyelids slid closed, her lips parted to whisper two final words that she didn't in a million years expect a response to.

"Goodnight, Sesshoumaru."

And as expected, he didn't reply.


	5. Dark influence

It was early when Octavia was awoken by a tickling sensation on her right cheek, the early beams of sunlight still light and fresh and the skies lined with pale pinks and blues.

She giggled at the sensation of what she discovered was one of Ah-Un's heads rubbing against her cheek, and full on laughed heartily when a large tongue shot out and gave her brow a firm lick. Her eyes shot open once she was more aware and she sat up, only to collide with the creature's scaled front, quietly groaning at the impact and rubbing her sore cheek. Ah-Un released a low rumbling noise from the back of its throat . . . Or two throats . . . And stared down at her with its twin sets of neon eyes. Eyes that looked far less sinister than the first time they'd laid eyes on her bathed in the light of dying flames and moonlight.

She smiled at the beast.

"Good morning, Octavia-san!" Rin called cheerily from where she was sat, holding a skewered little fish over the small fire, though  _where_  she had gotten it from eluded Octavia because she hadn't seen any bodies of water around.

"Morning, Rin." she said and crawled away from Ah-Un to sit beside the girl.

Her movements were groggy after just recently being woken up, and her vision hadn't yet properly adjusted. So she jumped when Rin suddenly thrust the stick with the fish on at her, but caught it, startled.

"That's for you," Rin beamed, "I heard your stomach growling whilst you were asleep so I know you're hungry."

Withholding her blush and another fierce stomach rumble, Octavia picked up the fish and began to eat it, trying not to think too much about it and just remember that it was  _food_. And as she was, Jaken returned from wherever he had been—honestly she hadn't even realised he was gone—and stomped his staff down on the ground loudly to gather their attention.

"Time to go!" he called.

"But Sesshoumaru-sama isn't back yet," Rin protested.

Octavia looked up.

He wasn't? But hadn't she seen him wander back in the early hours of the night, and had a half conversation with him? Or was that only the event of a dream? An immensely realistic dream that took both shape and form of intense colour and smell, and held too much impossible realism and depth.

It was increasingly hard to tell dream from reality, as of late.

"Milord cannot step foot in the human village at present, so he has instructed us to go on without him!"

 _Either that or he just thought it below him to enter a pitiful human dwelling,_  Octavia thought with a subtle shake of her head. But still, she didn't extend the matter and merely finished the fish Rin had made her. She then rose from the ground and dusted off her backside, which was damp from dewdrops and mud, and the once white cotton stained a light shade of green from the effects of the grass. At least her boots still seemed to be in pretty decent shape.

The path through the forest was wild, rocky, and a little more than what you would overgrown. Vines hung down from the trees, posing as a means of venting for Octavia as she whacked them out of the way with a long stick, pretty vigorously for her. She felt like a celebrity from one of those jungle escape programs, body covered in a layer of sweat, clothes filthy, and just feeling gross in general. A leaf that had been lodged behind her ear fell down onto her sticky cheek, and she brushed it away. Her feet ached from the walking and were probably harbouring impressive blisters due to her lack of socks. She couldn't help wondering why they hadn't just gotten Ah-Un to  _fly_  them in. It would have been much easier, and far less messy.

But, as it was in the legends of fantasy and magic, nothing was ever that easy.

After a while of trekking through irritably overgrown scenery, signs of civilisation began to emerge. There was a noticeable decrease in greenery, remains of tools and man-made work lying unattended, and the beginnings of what looked to be structures of buildings of sorts. And not only that, there were footprints.  _Human_ , certainly, because of the sizes and shape. Proof that a decent sized village could, in fact, be somewhere nearby.

And all of this was laid out close to the shrine hiding the curious little well of which Octavia had fallen into. Or rather, been  _pulled_  into.

The pull. She felt it even now, silent and nagging at the corners of her mind, urging her, tempting . . .  _Come . . ._   _Come_.

"Octavia-san?"

She was drawn out of a state of temporary paralysis by Rin's voice and tugging at the fabric of her dress. She blinked, the odd sensation having subsided for now, and looked down at the girl.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked, concern clear on her features. "You were in some kind of daze and weren't answering. Is something wrong?"

Octavia smiled and shook her head. "No, Rin. Everything is all right . . . For now."

That seemed enough to ease Rin, and she broke out into a wide grin. She then spun around twice and skipped down the now not so overgrown path. Jaken ran after her, shouting about reckless behaviour and how she might get herself into some trouble—though what kind of trouble remained a mystery—and Octavia just watched the scene unfold.

Ah-Un strode up beside her, and unexpectedly brushed its muzzle softly against her arm, startling her. She stared at the creature's strangely affectionate gesture with furrowed brows, before slowly running her fingers along the scaled snout of one head, a contented puff emitting from one of its throats. Whilst it's twin was enjoying a good petting, the other head—which seemed to be the less touchy, feely of the two—glanced away proudly. However, that still didn't stop it from resting the side of its head against her thigh, ever so discretely. She grinned.

"Are you maybe called what you are, because one head is  _Ah_ , and one is  _Un_." she pondered out loud. "But I wonder . . . Which is which . . . ?"

The head she was petting flashed teeth in a lazy grin, and the one against her thigh huffed.

And somehow it was those reactions that made Octavia think she  _might_  be able to distinguish between the two. Just might. But before she could try it, Jaken screamed loudly for her to hurry along, so she did.

.

.

Now out of the woods, a human dwelling was clearly visible, but the  _style_  of civilisation surprised Octavia.

Wooden huts of shabby craftsmanship were laid out for miles, along with wood arches, water holes, mills, and  _fields_. Absolute fields galore! Livestock wandered around said fields—sheep, cattle, goats; you name it. There were fields for spice, herb growing, and plant patches. And the people inside the village traveled around in  _carts_  pulled by horses.

The turf inside the village was muddy from hooves and wagon wheels churning it up, and the white hem of Octavia's dress was suddenly less white, even with the grass stains already creating a canvas of artistic ruin.

And the  _people_. Octavia had thought that Rin and Sesshoumaru's clothes had looked timely and otherworldly, but here they seemed to almost fit in, if not  _exceed_  the attire of the villagers. They wore traditional kimonos, haoris, hakamas . . . Every Japanese piece of clothing out there. Only these were far less extravagant or classy as Rin's beautiful summer yukata, which had been spun and sewed to perfection. The clothes of these villagers were just that: peasant clothes. Dirty, worn, old. And every single person spoke the tongue of the native.

It was unsettling, confusing; like something out of a historical TV drama, and the setting of it certainly looked like one of the early fourteenth or so century.

She'd assumed this was a different world with all the beasts and magic, but really . . . it actually seemed more like another  _time_. Where the monsters from stories roamed free, stealing children who were wicked, terrorising villages, and gorging themselves on torn off human flesh, still warm from the blood pumping in the veins below. Dangerous beasts of legend, unholy, evil. Back when people believed in such apparitions. And frankly, Octavia couldn't exactly  _not_  believe in them, because there were examples right before her. Examples the people of the village seemed surprisingly . . .  _not_  afraid of, considering they were the youkai of those nightmare tales.

A woman came up to Octavia, pushing goods into her face and blabbering in Japanese about prices and jewels. Faces everywhere regarded her with scorn, bewilderment, and spite. Like she was extra-terrestrial. And suddenly all the things started to seem too much.

The sounds were screeching sirens to Octavia's ears, the scenery vivid and blinding. And the context, the  _realisation_  of it all, burned its way to her core, making her draw her hands up to her pounding temples and shake on the spot. Everything spun like a spinning top . . . Round and round . . . Flickering images of light and colour. Smells old and rotting, voices ringing. A sizzling deep within her veins crying to be released, to be  _free_ , and Octavia felt it clawing its way out like a parasite.

She thought she felt Rin's hand on her arm, or Ah-Un's muzzle against her cheek, or even Jaken's shrill cries of demand. But everything was a blur of panic. And she collapsed onto the natural bed of muddy earth and trembled violently until she slipped into a state of violent unconsciousness.

.

.

Octavia's eyelids fluttered open to soft natural light, illuminating a homely shack of sorts. The roof was constructed of wooden planks and insulated with straw to stop rain or snow from leaking in. She was laid in a type of bunker, mattress not particularly soft, with her head laid on what was either a pillow or a boulder.

She blinked at rubbed the gross gumminess from her eyes, and sat up. Her head throbbed, but not as painfully as it had before, and her throat was ridiculously dry. Whenever she moved her tongue it felt like rubbing sandpaper, so she stopped. There was no use torturing herself by doing such a thing.

There was no one else in the house, she noted, nor was there anything liquefied she could use to replenish her thirst.  _Damn_.

Rising from the poor excuse of a bed, she stumbled on her weak legs and had to catch the side for support. It was then she noticed her feet were missing the boots she'd been wearing, and were quite bare against the sun-warm wooden floor. Her toenails still sported the delicate caramel nail polish her fingernails did, though the colour wasn't all that noticeable even in contrast to her pale skin. Glad there were no hideous blisters on display like she'd worried, she picked up a metal spoon that was lying on the floor and slowly walked towards the straw flap hanging over the hut entrance. The ends of her hair tickled the flesh exposed at her shoulders and brushed a little of the lingering dust and grime away. She also saw that the fabric at her hip had a long tear in it, and was showing a small amount of skin. But that didn't exactly matter right now.

Especially when  _a young woman_  came darting in, and grabbed a compound bow that was resting against the wall.

She froze in alarm at the sight of Octavia, before slumping in relief after recovering from the initial shock of being caught off guard. She watched her with her dark chestnut eyes, and somehow Octavia couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen this particular woman somewhere before. Like in a dream . . . Or more specifically, a  _photograph_  . . .

The woman blinked herself out of a similar trance and reached for a quiver of arrows.

"I'm glad to see you awake," she said, "But we're kinda dealing with a mini-crisis right now. So could you just wait here until we get it under control?"

Octavia watched the woman run back out as quickly as she'd come in and stood stupidly with the cooking spoon still clutched tightly in her grasp.  _A mini-crisis_ , she'd said. But what kind of crisis? There was only one way to find out . . . Even if the oddly familiar woman had told her to stay put.

The characters never did that in their stories.

Feet carrying her cautiously over to the flimsy straw flap that hung over the door, Octavia reached out and gently pushed the thing aside, blades of hay sharp and bristly against her fingertips. She then planted her bare feet onto the rough dusty terrain of the earth and stepped out. The sunlight was harsh, and she blinked several times to readjust her vision to the intensity. The sky was pastel blue, soft clouds floating about, and if not for the alarming screams and other noises, she would've thought nothing sinister of the day.

Turning her vision to the left towards where the forest began, there was something going on beyond the trees. Branches were being torn up and thrust high into the air, weapons were flying, flashes of bright pink light lit the clear blue sky every so often, and people were shouting. The people in the village hid behind their doors cowering, mothers holding their children tight to their breast and huddling together like nesting birds. They jumped whenever a flash of pink light appeared, and the earth shook at the transcendent  _swish!_  that sounded each time it did.

Octavia ran along the filthy path out of the village and into the trees, ignoring the wary frightened eyes of the villagers as she ran past. The spoon was still in her grip, stupid as she felt carrying it, but it was still technically a weapon if she hit someone hard enough with it. She darted down the green forest paths, following the sounds and cries. Not long later, she happened upon a stretch of forest that lay in ruin; trees trampled down, earth charred, and  _blood_  tossed out all around in thick, black clumps. She covered her mouth and nose with the inside of her wrist, blocking out the scent of decay and rot, as well as the burning of past flame she predicted was responsible for the stained black turf. Whatever had come through here, it had made a hell of a mess, as well as leaving a trail of dark blood for her to follow.

She jogged along the blood trail, eyes flickering around the area for any sign of whatever all this blood belonged to . . . And she soon found out just that, as  _a giant creature_  came crawling out from a cluster of tall trees, and stared down at her with its triple sets of eyes.

It was what looked to be a simple house woodlouse, only magnified about a hundred times huger, with malicious intent in its eyes.

Octavia fell back onto the path at the sight of it, making her feel even smaller than she already did, and the spoon fell from her grasp. Not that it would have fared well against this monstrous being anyway.

It was about to trample her with its long bony legs before a huge  _boomerang_  item came flying through the trees and sliced a number of those legs off. The youkai fell in an awkward crumple, the cry it released deafening and actually rather painful to the ears, but it wasn't dead yet. The thrower of the boomerang leaped out shortly after, and caught the bone weapon one-handed.

It was a woman clearly, clad in a tight black jumpsuit that hugged her feminine body closely, protected in scarlet armour, with dark brown hair bound back with a red ribbon. She could not have been very old, but her eyes held a sort of maturity and insight that went way beyond her years, like the woman with raven hair who'd run into the hut for the bow prior to this.

Speaking of her, she wasn't far behind the boomerang warrior, emerging from the distance with her bow drawn and pointed at the woodlouse youkai. She noticed Octavia there on the ground, and surprise registered in her expression momentarily, before her attention was adverted to another newcomer. The man who leaped onto the scene next shocked Octavia so much with the resemblance he bore to Sesshoumaru, she nearly forgot about the fifty-foot demon only a few feet away from her.

He had the same flowing silver mane of hair, and blazing eyes of fire, only his were more expressive and younger in years and experience than Sesshoumaru's. He also sported a pair of white  _dog_  ears in the place of where human ones would be. And if the odd appearance colouring hadn't given it away already, they proved he was  _far_ from human. His clothes were blood-red, and he landed beside the woman with the bow, passing her a glance before swinging his bulky sword in the direction of the threat. It pulsed once and filled with some kind of energy that swirled around like skeins of fire and smoke. The air suddenly felt very heavy, and Octavia's vision started to cloud, all because of that bizarre sword.

Eyelids suddenly heavy like the air, Octavia wobbled in her position on the ground, and the feeling consuming her made it so she failed to see the energy building around the white-haired youkai's sword slowly turning a dark  _black_. . . Like the usual hazel green of her eyes.

She reached out a hand and let out an aggrieved breath, and that same black energy cultivated from the palm of her hand, crackling in the form of a dark electric orb. The power surrounding the sword was sucked  _into_  that orb, making it enlarge, and the trio regarded her with wide-eyed bewilderment. A veil of deep purple cloaked Octavia's form, and her irises were now wholly black and blended into her blown wide pupils.

The youkai screeched at her transformation and began crawling over to her, but without murderous intent like before. As if she had beckoned it, and it was obeying her call. A pull.  _Her_  pull.

The youkai stopped just before her and leaned down to rest its front against the huge ball of dark energy at Octavia's palm. It inhaled and absorbed the ball, and its body started to glow a dark luminous purple, as it sucked the gloomy gift from her. And with it . . . grew even more power than before.

The three strangers decided then to act, and the dog-eared man bounded towards her and the creature with his sword held high, apparently planning to cut them  _both_  down. Perhaps because of her odd mutation and what could be classed as assistance to the beast, he saw her too in the light of an antagonist. So she closed her black eyes and sucked in a sharp breath, waiting for the death blow that never came.

When she re-opened her eyes, the woodlouse youkai had been sliced in two, and lay oozing in a pool of bubbling green acid. And an alienated yet familiar figure, clad-in-white, stood before her. Only his usually reserved eyes were burning with a fiercer gold rage and  _hatred_  like none she had ever seen, nor could she place why.

He glared at her like she was more monster than the fallen youkai. Like he wanted to cut her down too and make her burn with his green acid, the blackness she'd birthed boiling away with her.

But he did not, perhaps because of Rin and the rest of his fellowship coming rushing out onto the scene.

"Octavia-san!" Rin cried in horror, dismounting Ah-Un and collapsing at her side. "What happened? Are you all right!?"

Before she could form a reply, one of the three strangers began to speak. The one that resembled Sesshoumaru so.

"What the hell're you doing here, Sesshoumaru!?" he barked, "And what's the deal with this girl and all the weird dark power? What the hell is goin'  _on_!?"

The hate for her in Sesshoumaru's eyes didn't completely vanish, but it turned to mere annoyance as he regarded the man who resembled him so. But his eyes kept flashing back to her, and each time they did, that raw rage would resurface, and chill her to the core at the indifference between them.

"Enough with your foolish questions, Inuyasha. They irritate me so."

"Don't give me that! Tell me what's goin' on before I hack your arm off!  _Again_ , I'll add!"

"Now that is no way to talk to your elder brother is it, you little vermin?"

Octavia was distracted from her mind haze by that, and her eyes flickered from Sesshoumaru to the one called Inuyasha.

 _Brother_ , he'd said. The two were brothers. That at least explained the uncanny resemblance and rude, overbearing attitudes.

Inuyasha held up his sword at Sesshoumaru. "I thought we were done with the whole name calling thing by now, but whatever. I could use a good killing session with Tessaiga right now!"

"You are incapable of killing  _me_."

"Oh yeah? Well, why don't we see about—"

The raven-haired woman spoke then, after a loud, and very long sigh.

"Inuyasha . . ." she said, cutting him off. " _Sit_."

What happened then as the word rolled off her tongue, was really quite comical. The beaded necklace around his neck glowed a bright, pristine white, and all of a sudden he was thrust down onto the ground with a loud  _crunch!_ He lay in that position like a beached whale or starfish and groaned. He glared up at the woman from his bind on the ground and snarled.

" _Kagome_!" he screeched furiously.

"What?" she snapped, "You were being irrational. Besides, I said I'd take the beads off you soon so I'm just making the best of it while I still can."

The other woman with the boomerang spoke then. "If I were you, Kagome-chan, I'd just keep them on." she said, "He's never going to learn to behave with  _or_  without them, and he'll only get worse the second you take them off."

"But I promised . . ."

Octavia rose to her feet then, legs still weak and with Rin supporting her. But she had to ask, especially after hearing the woman's name more than once now . . .

"Kagome?" she called experimentally, and the woman looked at her.

"Yes?"

"You're . . . Kagome . . .  _Higurashi_?"

Kagome blinked in shock at the question, and her brown eyes widened. "Yeah . . ." she nodded finally, "That's right. But how did you . . . ?"

She examined Octavia's attire properly then, looking closely at the material and design of the nightgown. She then looked at the nail polish on her finger and toenails, and her long bob hairstyle . . . and something seemed to click. Her mouth formed a small circle, and she bumped her fists together.

"Are you from my time?" she asked.

Octavia smiled then. A smile of relief that screamed:  _At last_. And she nodded. It was a ridiculous sounding question. Impossible. But it brought sheer happiness, for the first time since she'd crawled up out of that well and into this wild place.

Kagome mirrored the joyous expression and walked closer, staring deep into her eyes with fascination. She looked her up and down again and shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't believe it . . ." she muttered, "How? The well's been closed for so long . . ."

"Well, it's opened again. I'm here, aren't I?" was all Octavia could think to say.

Kagome's expression warmed, and she let out a noise that sounded like a half  _laugh_. A laugh of pure  _joy_.

That expression perfectly resembled the one in the photograph above the bed in the Higurashi house, and Octavia knew for certain that this woman was that same schoolgirl from those pictures. The same girl Sota and his family claimed was away traveling. It wasn't exactly a lie because she had traveled, though not really a  _distance_. Not truly, if it made sense.

Somehow, she too had been pulled into this strange time prior to their own. But for what reason?

Perhaps her story could shed some light on her own? And give her the answers the heroes of legend so craved.

And perhaps it could help quell the darkness flowing within, that Sesshoumaru saw from his standing across the way, with narrow eyes and razor teeth clenched in wariness. He had seen the dark energy of Inuyasha's demon vortex flow into her like a running river, and use her like a puppet to lend the woodlouse youkai strength. She had been manipulated so easily by that darkness.  _Used_.

Like how the hearts of those near could influence the nature . . . of the Shikon Jewel.


	6. You can't run

"What the hell happened back there, Sesshoumaru? Rin was one thing, but  _that_  human . . . What  _is_  she?!"

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to sigh. Why must Inuyasha always be so tiresome? Every word the hanyou muttered very nearly drove him insane. And now, because of the damn girl's perplexing behaviour, he wouldn't let the matter go.

"Are you even listenin–"

"The human is none of your concern. Cease your endless mouthing."

Inuyasha scowled and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his haori. His attention briefly diverted to the hut his woman and the others were in, before again returning to him.

". . . Who is she?" he asked, "And how does she know Kagome?"

"That remains to be a mystery."

"Kagome seems to think she came from her world-no, from her  _time_. From the future."

"Fool's talk."

"It's not! I've been there, Sesshoumaru. I've seen it. An' it's  _nothing_  like what it is now. Nothing."

The Taiyoukai's eyes narrowed. "Are you implying that you've known about the existence of this world, and you never once thought to tell me?"

"I never thought to bring it up! Especially since you were always trying t'kill me!"

How stupid could one person be not to bring up the topic of another world being basically on one's doorstep? As stupid as Inuyasha, it seemed.

Before any further insults could be spoken, the monk emerged from the hut. Inuyasha turned to him with searching eyes, and the two shared a look.

"Well?" Inuyasha probed, "Anything to tell? We ain't got all day, y'know."

"I think you're going to want to hear about this." was what the monk offered ambiguously.

.

.

Kagome and her friends' reactions were quite surprised upon hearing Totosai's story, and the news of the Shikon magic. Well, actually they seemed father  _disturbed_  at that part, as if the topic had struck a particular nerve . . .

"So, what you're saying is . . . Totosai-sama told you that you have the same powers as the Shikon no tama did?" Kagome clarified.

Octavia nodded. "That's what he said. And after my little outburst back there . . . I'd say he was probably right."

"Do you know how to control it?"

"Um . . ."

Considering the previous events, the answer was highly likely to be  _no_. The loss of bodily command and consciousness under the influence of Inuyasha's youkai power had driven the power within to drastic measures.  _Darker_  measures.

"Well the Shikon no tama drew its power from the hearts of those around it," the slayer—Sango—commented. "Considering your magic works the same way, we should assume you draw power from the hearts of those around you too. Think about it. This time you used  _dark_  magic, drawn from Inuyasha's demon sword, Tessaiga. Maybe if there's more positive energy around to influence you . . . You'll be able to use  _lighter_  magic."

"Would that work?"

Sango shrugged. "The Jewel remained pure and untainted when under Kikyo's control, and then Kagome's. It then got corrupted by Naraku's dark heart. The logic makes sense."

"I don't know who those people are . . ." Octavia said slowly.

"You don't really need to anymore . . . They're gone now."

" . . . Oh."

Kagome rubbed her forearms and Sango suddenly seemed very interested in the floorboards. Octavia found the situation to be extremely awkward, and decided to change it around.

"So why don't we test it?" she asked.

"What?"

"The theory. Set some spiritual power off and see how my magic reacts to it. We won't know unless we try, will we?"

Kagome strummed her fingers against her lower lip in thought, before nodding finally. "Yeah. I agree with you. We should at least try it."

"And if something goes wrong, we can always stop. Right?"

"Right." she nodded, "But tomorrow. We'll try it tomorrow. We've been out chasing demons all morning. And I don't know about Sango, but I'm tired. And I don't have three crazy kids to deal with."

Octavia turned to the slayer. "You have children?" she asked.

The woman smiled. "Oh yes. Two of four years and one of two. Very energetic and overbearing. They wear you down a lot, and that's minus all the youkai fighting."

"But you're young to have so many children?"

Sango laughed, as did Kagome.

"Young?" she giggled, "I'm in my early twenties. I'm not  _that_  young."

"That seems pretty young to me to have three children to me."

"Octavia-chan." Kagome put a hand on her arm, "Feudal period Japan, remember. That's not all that young to be having children in this age."

". . . Yes. Of course."

"I'm still dying to know about this time you come from, but Kagome-chan  _still_  refuses to tell me all the details."

"I would tell you, but I don't wanna cause a rip in the space-time continuum or anything."

Octavia laughed. "Or create any insane paradoxes you can't fix," she added.

"You see." Sango shook her head and smirked, "I don't have a clue what you two are talking about. You sound like crazy people talking crazy talk."

They all laughed then.

"Actually . . ." Octavia started, "I have some things I'd like to ask  _you_."

"Like what?"

"Well first, where are Rin and the others of Sesshoumaru's posse? They were here before I collapsed, but I haven't seen them since."

Kagome and Sango smiled at one another.

"Rin is with Sango's kids. She likes to play babysitter when she comes over to visit. So I imagine Jaken will be with her."

"I see."

"What else did you want to ask?"

". . . Who exactly is Sesshoumaru? And should I be afraid of him?"

"Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha's older full youkai brother. Oh, Inuyasha is a  _half demon_  so you know, a  _hanyou_." Kagome explained, "He and Sesshoumaru had the same father, but he died many years ago. He was a great InuYoukai leader of these lands."

"Okay. What's an InuYoukai?"

"It's a dog youkai, a demon spirit that takes the form of a huge dog in its true form. Inuyasha's only half so he's stuck mid-transformation, hence the ears, but Sesshoumaru is the real deal."

"So you're saying he's actually a  _giant dog_  in disguise?"

All jokes and laughter were suddenly gone, and the two women both regarded Octavia with serious, solemn eyes. To which  _she_  burst out laughing at.

"Now come  _on_ ," she laughed, "That's ridiculous. A giant dog? No. Not possible."

"Why is it so impossible?" Kagome asked.

"Because  _look_  at him. He looks nothing like a dog. He's all clean, and mystical, and . . .  _elven_. The last thing I'd compare him to would be a dog."

"Well . . ." Sango rubbed her head, "That's what he is."

"So he's a giant dog demon that rules these lands, his late father was a glorious ruler, and his brother is half demon-half something . . . Anything else I should know?"

"He doesn't take nicely to being mocked." a newcomer's voice sounded as someone else walked into the hut.

It was the monk Octavia had laid eyes on briefly.  _Miroku_ , she believed his name was. He was wedded to Sango, thus probably the father of her three children as well. He was noble spoken and seemed genuine enough. His smile held hopeful naïveté that was likeable, and Octavia saw no reason to dislike him.

He came and sat down beside his wife and regarded her insightfully.

"The thing about having youkai senses, you see." he continued, "Is that your ordinary human senses are magnified, and, say for instance in this case, your  _hearing_  is magnified."

Octavia's face fell.

". . . Meaning he heard everything we just said." she realised with a slight frown.

Miroku nodded slowly, "Yes . . ."

"And what exactly does he plan to do after all my comments?"

"I suppose he . . . I guess . . ." the monk furrowed his brows in thought, "I don't know. Why?"

She shook her head and wore the most innocent expression she could muster. "Just curious how he plans to deal with insolence, him being an all-powerful  _dog_  lord and all . . ."

Something that sounded distinctively like an annoyed  _snarl_  came from outside, and everyone other than Octavia exchanged concerned glances.

"I'd be careful what you're saying, Octavia-chan," Sango whispered.

"Or what? What will he do? He won't come in here, I know that for sure. He's too proud to step foot inside a  _human_  house that barely stretches half a mile."

Another snarl, this one more dangerous sounding than the last.

"And whatever he plans to do, I could always give him a bit of a brawl with my out-of-control powers. You've seen how that goes down in the movies, Kagome. It almost never goes well."

The growling was becoming difficult to ignore now, so Octavia rose from her seated position and asked to be excused for a moment. She then wandered over to the straw flap hanging, feet now clad in her brown platform boots, and she pushed it aside to step out . . .

She was instantly met with a very wrathful looking Taiyoukai, who glared daggers at her with his metallic blazing eyes. The fierceness of his gaze right into her, striking her with hard steel. Only this time, she met the strikes head-on.

"Something to say?" she taunted, knowing she was stepping into  _very_  dangerous territory, but finding herself uncaring.

What was the best he could do? Bite her?

His lips curled over his teeth in a frightening menace, and a rumbling emitted from deep within his throat.

"Your impudent ways will not go unpunished, human." he gritted.

"Then punish me." she retorted, eyes gleaming. "Show me what you'll do if I go against you. Because right now you seem an awful lot like all bark and no bite."

The more his inner youkai rose, the more Octavia felt her own magic growing with. All the rage he channeled through his eyes and aura fed into her, and fuelled the forces inside.

He began to withdraw when the black purple started to leak into her eyes again.

"It is unwise for you to call upon your power at this time," he said, "You are not in control."

"And you are?"

His dark brows drew downward, the hairs black as night like the colour of each eyelash which was visible in the close proximity. She could also see the deep red marking on each eyelid, painted on like blood.

"Are you really in complete control like you make out to be?" she challenged, "Or are you just really good at hiding it?"

He lifted his chin and stared her out from above his nose. An action he did when he wanted to appear bigger than her. "Your wordplay cannot deceive me. Your trickery is of no effect on me."

"You think I'm using trickery?"

"I  _know_."

"You know less than you think."

His aura spiked again and red bled into the whites of his eyes. His fists balled and he drew his mouth into a firm line. It was then that Octavia began to regret her decision to be defiant and clever, and started to see the fear she'd seen in the others' eyes. The mental trembling, the quaking under the flame of his steely gaze. The wrath that came with angering a god. A god of the stars. Forget a star, he was a nebula ready to explode on whoever enraged him enough.

"Octavia-san, you're awake!"

Just like that, the tension was gone. The rage vanished like a disappearing act, and Sesshoumaru turned his head to look down at Rin.

Octavia did the same, and watched the little girl walking up to them casually with a big smile on her face, like she was completely oblivious to the aura of killing Sesshoumaru had just recently been emitting. She was a strange child. A curious specimen, capable of calming the wildest of waters. Like a comforting aspirin tablet, soothing to even the worst of headaches.

Somehow, this human girl was Sesshoumaru's one soft-spot.

Octavia's features softened and she smiled at the girl. "Hello, Rin."

"Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "Yes, and everybody being extra pleasant to me is helping too." she threw in and didn't miss the slight twitch of Sesshoumaru's brow.

"That's good! And actually, I have some news that might be even better for you."

"What is it?"

"Jaken suggested taking you to see Sesshoumaru-sama's warlock, to see if he knows how to get your powers under control. He thinks it would be slightly better than Kagome-neesan's help, since he specialises in broader magic."

"And where is this warlock of Sesshoumaru's?"

"At the castle of course."

" _Castle_?" She turned her attention back at Sesshoumaru, "You have a castle?"

"He's the Lord of the West, silly!" Rin giggled, "Of  _course_  he has a castle, though I've never actually been in it so . . ."

"We will not do that, Rin." Sesshoumaru stated firmly.

Her expression fell. "Oh . . ." she said, though no argument arose.

"Why not?" Octavia asked.

He offered no vocal response, only a dark glare, before striding away and out of the village. His snowy hair billowed behind him like a cape of majestic exquisiteness, and it was in that moment that Octavia hated that part of him. How he could be so ethereally beautiful, and flawless . . . But be so contrasting on the inside. He used that appearance like a weapon.  _Flaunted_  it like everything lesser than him was dirt, and she hated it. It was behaviour like that that allowed the hidden ugliness underneath to seep ever so slightly onto the outside, for Octavia just to catch a glimpse of it. The not-so-beautiful inside.

She walked with Rin to where Jaken was in the village, sitting by a running stream with Ah-Un and three  _children_. Twin girls and a boy to be precise. They were sitting around the imp, listening to him tell some kind of wild tale about his adventures with his master; the little boy's eyes wide with fascination, and the girls' narrowed with skepticism.

"Did you really take on seven three-headed snakes all by yourself?" one of the girls asked.

"Of course I did!" he responded, puffing his chest out as far as it would go, "I took them all on with my staff and vanquished them! Then I went on to slay all ten of the venomous grasshopper youkai!"

"You're amazing, Jaken-dono." the little boy said, adorably awed at the story.

Ah-Un was chuckling under its breath as it laid beside the stream, and Octavia smiled as she walked over to the scene with Rin. "Jaken." she greeted, asserting the imp's attention to her.

"Ah, it's you." he said, spinning to face her, "So you're finally awake after your little outburst? Quite the show you put on."

The three children turned to look at her, and their eyes widened in sync at the sight. They huddled together and whispered, though Octavia could hear them pretty clearly despite.

"Look at her," one of the twins whispered, "I've never seen a human who looks like that. Is she a youkai?"

"I don't think so, but her hair and eye colours are pretty unusual, not to mention how pretty she is  _anyway_."

Octavia's cheeks flushed. She wasn't anything extravagant when it came to looks, in fact, she'd always thought that she looked rather  _plain_  when compared to a lot of people. Sure her eyes were a nice colour—a forest, lime green—but they were a little on the big side, with wild thick lashes. Her hair was a dull reddish brown, that only came to her shoulders and refused to grow as long or luscious as Kagome or Sango's, both whose hair was sleek and silky. And she'd always been too skinny to be anything desirable for men. Flimsy, plain, and severely lacking in curves. Any man she'd dated had had more in the bust area than  _her_ , and her painfully flat backside always struggled to fill jeans or shorts.

So having her appearance admired by the people of this world was quite a shock indeed.

"Rin told me about Sesshoumaru's warlock," she said, silently urging the colour to creep back out of her cheeks.

"And the castle," Rin added, "But Sesshoumaru-sama refused to go."

Jaken blinked, "He did? Oh dear, oh dear . . . It's probably because he doesn't want the youkai there to see you humans, since he's supposed to be human-hating and victorious in slaughtering you all."

"Rin said she hasn't been to this castle, probably because of that reasoning, but have you, Jaken?"

"Of course I have. I lived there for a while with Sesshoumaru-sama and his other subjects, before he decided to turn to solitary wandering and gaining strength on his journeys. So I, of course, accompanied him."

"Have you been back since?"

"We were supposed to go back after Naraku was defeated, to start the new empire. But we never did, and I don't know why."

"Didn't you think to ask?"

He got more passionate then, and frustrated. "One does not simply question milord so freely!" he snapped, "We follow him! No matter where he may lead."

Octavia thought back to Rin's reluctance to argue with the stubborn youkai earlier, and thought that Jaken's snaps served as a decent explanation to that. He was their master, and they did not question his word, no matter how unreasonable it may be. But that reason simply wasn't enough. Or it didn't feel like enough. If the only reason Sesshoumaru hadn't returned home to his castle was because he was afraid of how the youkai would react to Rin, then that was foolish. He could have easily left her here and gone. In fact, he already had left her here apparently, so why hadn't he gone home then?

There seemed to be an even thicker fog of ambiguity surrounding Sesshoumaru than she'd originally thought. And despite his irritable good looks and stubbornness, she wanted to see what was hiding in that fog.

So she waited until later that night, when everyone had gone to bed, so she could sneak off into the forest unnoticed, in pursuit of the mysterious mist that cloaked Sesshoumaru.

.

.

An old-worldly forest at night in the height of summer was an array of things. Deep green nature cloaked in darkness, trees tall silhouettes of shadow, cicadas clicking away and broadcasting their endless songs into the vast scene. But it wasn't complete darkness, because there were spaces the light of the moon and stars still touched. Like the clearings Octavia would wander through, boots dampening from the cool blades of wet grass, pale light streaming down her back and hair like a ghost's tears. The flowers that grew in those clearings were withdrawn from vivid colour, softened by the gentle light of the moon. Octavia walked through places like this for what must have been hours, but somehow only felt like a couple of minutes. Because she soon came across a larger clearing to the ones she'd previously come across, one which harboured a flowing waterfall and spring pool. The clearness of the water caught the effect of the luminous night sky and created the impression that it was raining stars down the cliff side.

And of course, sitting at the lip of the said pool, in his usual lotus position, was Sesshoumaru.

He sat like he had by the tree that night, one leg propped up and his arm resting on it, whilst his gaze was directed upward once again at the velvet blanket of astronomy. Surely he knew she was there because of his youkai senses, but if he did he didn't acknowledge her presence. Simply dismissed it, like he didn't care, or rather that she merely didn't bother him by being there. That was strange considering his behaviour earlier, but she decided to dismiss it too and walked closer. It was as she did, however, that he finally addressed her.

"What is it that you want now, human?"

She breathed evenly and refused to break her resolve.

"I came to talk to you," she replied.

He snorted, eyes still pointed skyward. "Talk? About what?"

"About why you're so against going home."

He did look at her then. His eyes were too far away to properly see, but the sharp amber glowed in the dark like burning iron, and followed her movements like a panther.

She ignored the warning in those eyes and walked even closer so she was within a meter of his personal space. She stopped just before where he sat, and knelt herself down just beside him, by the edge of the flowing pool. Turning her gaze away from his burning eyes, she stared down into the clear moonlit water and dipped several fingers in.

"Won't you tell me why?" she said, eyes never leaving the water as she did.

"You are involving yourself in matters that do not concern you."

"It concerns me if this warlock of yours can help get my magic under control."

"The Miko said she would assist you."

"We both know that Kagome's help won't be enough."

She did look at him then, and he looked at her. His eyes bore straight into hers, and for a moment she regretted seating herself so close to him so that she could see the tension flickering away like flames in his eyes. All that rage, all that loathing. The amount visible in his eyes surely wasn't healthy.

No person could contain all that, not even a demon.

"Totosai said I was a part of something. Something bigger." she said, "He told us about that prophecy, and how all of demonkind will fall if I can't do something to stop that."

"Totosai is an old fool, blabbering nonsense that he has no idea of the meaning."

"Old fool or not, he knew something about me. Something I never would've known if not for meeting him. He told me I had magic and I  _do_. He was right. Look at it all—the absorbing, Inuyasha's sword, your  _wrist_. The proof is all there."

"I will not take you into a castle filled with youkai I wish to honour me. Your very presence would bring eruption and dishonour to my reputation."

"And that's all that matters? Your reputation."

He apparently hadn't expected the cold laugh that came out of her mouth, and his brows furrowed. He stared at her, eyes flickering with what looked to be a mild confusion, whilst she shook her head.

"This silliness between youkai and humans, this  _racism_. It's silly. So silly."

"You do not understand, human."

"I understand." she retorted, voice sharp and eyes filled with definitive, "I know what it's like to worry about what other people think of you. To want people to love you so much, that you'll do anything to make sure they don't see what  _you_  see when you look at yourself in a mirror."

She stared down into the pool again, and gazed at her own reflection staring back up at her, basked in moonlight and shadow.

Sesshoumaru's reflection looked at her too, and her expression softened.

"All I see when I look at myself is a stupid little girl who ran away from a home that wasn't even her own the second she was old enough to run and not be chased. I ran and never looked back. Ran all across the world, through so many places, and I didn't even know what I was running  _from_. Maybe I was running from myself, but we all know that's the last thing you can run from."

The white light caught on the youkai lord's cheeks then when he lifted his head and lit up his impossibly beautiful features. The stripes on his cheeks seemed smoother than before, and the malice was once again lacking from his blazing eyes as it was that other night.

His reflection was a lot easier to look at than the real thing. It was simpler, open, rawer, and Octavia wasn't afraid when looking at it. She chewed the inside of her cheek and stared at the rippling image, watching the puzzlement flicker across the image's face. And for a brief second of staring, she saw something other than the frightening monster of an Inu in disguise than a creature of rage. And what she saw transformed into something holding a lot more sorrow.

Something young, and afraid. Afraid of going home, for some reason she couldn't understand, and that in a million years he would never tell  _anyone_.

_You speak such rare nonsense._

If the nonsense she spoke was rare, then what he spoke was practically extinct. But it wasn't what he said verbally that was odd, it was what he  _didn't_  say. Or rather, what his eyes were trying to say in that reflected image on the pool's surface, and Octavia wanted to speak more nonsense.

Because he would listen. Even if neither of them knew why, he would.

"You can be afraid and have your secrets . . . But you can't run, Sesshoumaru. Not from the people you're trying so hard to be something for. Not from yourself."

_You can't run._

"Not from that."


	7. Mystery

"Concentrate on me."

"I'm trying. It's just a little difficult with all these youkai around flashing their demonic powers to distract me."

Kagome stopped using her spiritual powers and glared at Inuyasha, who was swinging the Tessaiga around in the opposite end of the field. She flashed him a look that seemed to strike remnants of fear into him—possibly to do with the peculiar string of beads around his neck—and he stopped drawing on the dark power of the sword.

She turned back to Octavia, who stood opposite, and smiled.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Because if you're not feeling well then we can always–"

"I said I'm  _fine_ , Kagome."

The Miko's eyebrows shot up, and she stopped channeling her powers altogether. Octavia regarded her bashfully for snapping, and bit her lip.

"I'm sorry . . ." she said, rubbing her bare arm, "I'm just a little edgy."

"Don't be sorry, I would be too if I learned I had Shikon magic that could be influenced by good and evil surroundings. Hell, I'm surprised you haven't destroyed a couple of forests yet, or severely injured a few arrogant Taiyoukai."

Octavia stared at Kagome with skeptical eyes, before surrendering to a laughter that disbursed her at the reference.

"I'm surprised I haven't either," she laughed, "I sure as hell wanted to. Does that make me a bad person?"

"I think the fact that you  _haven't_  gone ahead and done it proves that you're not. You're better than me in that field of punishment."

"Y'got that right!" Inuyasha yelled from the other end of the field, and Kagome sniggered.

"Have you been living here all this time then?"

"Yep. After the well closed for three years and I couldn't see everyone on this side, and it finally re-opened . . . I made my decision to stay here."

"You chose this world? Even when your family is on the other?"

". . . My family would love me no matter what I choose, and I them," Kagome said softly, lowering her voice at the next part, "But a world without Inuyasha . . . That's not a world I want to live in. You'd understand if you knew what we'd been through, and what he means to me."

Octavia smiled because surely Kagome must have known that simply lowering her voice wouldn't prevent Inuyasha from hearing her heartfelt confession, and she certainly didn't miss the little smile that grew on his face at his lover's words. But the smug swinging of his sword and whistling was kind of over the top.

Kagome returned the smile and lifted her open palms again towards Octavia.

"Now remember, focus entirely on me." she said, sending power growing into her palms, "Feel the energy coming from my body. Feel the pure spiritual energy building, latch onto it like you did with the demonic energy, then cast it out as your own."

Octavia closed her eyes and did what Kagome told her.

She felt the lightness of the spiritual energy flowing through the air, like an invisible breeze, and breathed it in. She tried to concentrate on how it felt, how it smelt, what colour it was . . . She imagined scooping it up in the palm of her hands like a bundle of water, and holding it close to her chest. It was a funny feeling; warm and fresh, unlike with the aura from the woodlouse youkai and Inuyasha's sword. It was pure. And it felt nice.

"Can you feel it?"

Her smile widened and she released a soft breath, eyes still closed. "Yeah," she said, "I feel it."

"Good. Now let what you've harnessed out. Let it go."

Her eyes flickered underneath her eyelids, and her smile faded slightly. She brought her hands up to cup over her chest and scrunched up her face. But the smile didn't fade completely, for the good feeling of the spiritual energy was still there, and it resonated deep within Octavia's soul tenderly, caressing the deepest parts of her mind into a state of tranquillity. Like a lover's stroke, kind and firm, ever tender.

"Octavia-chan?" Kagome called, though her voice seemed more distant than before, like it was a part of a dream that Octavia was slowly slipping away from. "Hey," she said more firmly, "You need to let it go now."

Octavia smiled breathlessly, still blinded by the black of her own eyelids.

"But I don't want to." she responded like a spoiled child, fingers clutching the fabric of her nightdress as she rocked from side to side.

Inuyasha came running and stared at the scene.

"What's goin' on?" he asked.

"She's holding my power inside of her, if she doesn't let it go it'll purify her."

"But she ain't a demon, so what'll it do to her? Can't be all that bad, can it?"

"She's not a demon, no, but she's running on an equal balance of light  _and_  dark energy . . . Like the Shikon Jewel! She can be influenced by one side, but if there's  _too much_ of one, it'll break her from the inside. Like the Jewel!"

"Like how we got rid of it for good," he finally caught on, "We  _purified_  it with your selfless wish!"

The voices were getting easier to ignore, and still, Octavia refused to open her eyes. The feeling was too warm, too safe; and if it was selfish to want to hold onto that feeling, then she was just fine with being selfish.

"Octavia-chan." Kagome's voice was there again, but Octavia couldn't hear the rest of what she had to say. And frankly, she didn't  _want_  to hear whatever it was Kagome had to say. It felt good, all too good, and that was an amazing feeling.

It reminded her of pillows, and sheets, and radiators on cold winter mornings. A comfort, a completion. And perhaps it was incredibly selfish for Octavia to hog the blanket like she was, but it just felt too undeniably good that she couldn't  _not_  be selfish. If everything turned out to be just a dream, in the end, she wanted to be able to say she lived it as well as she could. Did anything she dared, aspired to be something and have something, that didn't involve running away.

She was going nowhere right now.

"Human."

Her eyelids glided open to meet a dazzling silver figure she knew all too well. He stared at her, from his stance within a meter of touching her, and regarded her sharply. It was upon opening her eyes, however, that she could now see what was happening because of that warm feeling.

A fine white mist had gathered on the outside of her body, and floated as a soft layer of glittering fog. It was warm to the touch and shone in the sunlight. Kagome and Inuyasha stared at the spectacle with wide eyes, mouths parted in awe at the shimmering beauty of it, whereas Sesshoumaru merely watched the scene unfold over Octavia with careful eyes.

This was spiritual energy, she remembered, and he obviously didn't want to be burned at her hand a  _second_  time.

She extended a hand, not willing to do that, but he took the tiniest step back all the same, so discretely she wouldn't have noticed if not for her senses being interestingly heightened. The odd mist danced along the skin on her extended arm, and flickered at her fingertips like a ghostly flame. The watchers' eyes followed her movements, as the flame curved and spun in tune with her fingers. And she giggled, laughed in humble joy at the far from simple occurrence, and flashed a dazzling smile at Sesshoumaru. And for a second he seemed frozen, as if she had struck him with her blazing fist.

Confusion swirled in his dark amber pools again, and she only smiled more.

"I did it," she grinned breathlessly.

Kagome shared the laughter, and shook her head in disbelief. ". . . You  _did_ ,"

"And so quickly too." Inuyasha muttered, running his eyes up and down Octavia's glittering body, "Damn. You're good."

She turned to Sesshoumaru then again, eyes probing and insistent, yet still maintaining the passive joy.

She looked at him, secretly wanting a comment, but of course, he didn't give one.

"Can you let go of it now?" Kagome asked.

Octavia looked down at the mist on her hands and pondered. She closed her palms and her eyes, and focused entirely on withdrawal of the warmth that was soothing her from the inside, and was immensely sad when she felt it leaving her body. When she opened her eyes again, the magical fog was gone along with the warmth, and Sesshoumaru no longer looked like he would cringe away if she touched him.

"Wow," Kagome smiled, "You're better with spiritual than you are with demonic. Still okay?"

"Yeah, I am."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Show off."

Sesshoumaru still regarded her with a mutual indifference Octavia shared, but there was a tiny ounce of new intrigue flickering away in those gold depths. Like she had just increased in interest and mystery, and he absolutely couldn't ignore the puzzle she posed anymore. Because what Octavia didn't know was that Sesshoumaru  _hated_  mysteries, whilst she loved them, and no one went by without him uncovering it.

And if the mystery she presented was great enough, he would dig down and figure it out, because he simply couldn't  _stand_  not knowing.

.

.

At some point that day, Sesshoumaru decided to take the human to see his warlock.

He wasn't entirely sure what had brought about the decision, he only knew that power like that, was no good for demonkind. The way she had handled dark energy had been little to appalling, but the spiritual energy . . . Power like that could bring about the destruction of races. And this world Inuyasha spoke of where no youkai was present could come of age. And Sesshoumaru, King of the West, refused to let that happen during his reign. When he told Jaken of his intentions to take Rin and the girl to the castle, the imp seemed surprised, but pleasantly so. It was the first time in a long time that  _genuine_  joy and agreement had been visible on the little youkai's face, and it confused Sesshoumaru that it was the bothersome human wench who was responsible for it. Rin seemed rather excited to be finally going to the castle in the West too, and clasped her hands together upon hearing the news.

Sesshoumaru then went to inform the bane of the problem of the news, and found her sitting alone on a rock in a field on the outskirts of the village.

She was sitting there in her dirty white costume—now more a dusty grey—kicking her unusual chunky boots on the side of the rock. And around her outstretched fingers, swirled that familiar white sparkling mist, glittering in the sunlight and blazing with spiritual aura. The ghostly flame changed to a more purple hue as he neared under the influence of his dark youki, and she turned as it did. He stopped several feet away from her, eyes traveling to the plum coloured flames, and maintained his permanent frown.

Her expression was a fine contrast to his, eyes big and expressive.  _Green_ , he noticed then. Bright green eyes, practically the colour of moss that grew on jungle tree trunks. They glimmered, with tiny flakes of yellowy brown tinting the area around the pupils, like fine specks of gold.

He wasn't sure why he noticed that, but he would remember it.

"Yes?" she asked, mood still pleasant and lacking the irritable probing quality that pushed all his wrong buttons.

For a moment he said nothing, and just stared at her, brow furrowing as he tried too hard to work out where this incredible shift in attitude had come from. She lowered her hand and withdrew the magic building, and turned to face him properly from her seated position.

"What is it?"

"We are leaving for my castle tonight."

Her eyes widened in visible surprise, but like Jaken, it was pleasantly so.

"Really? After you were so set on not going?"

"You require the wisdom of my warlock."

"Yeah that's what Jaken said, but you were so against it before. What changed your mind?"

 _What indeed?_ Sesshoumaru wondered to himself with an inward frown, and somehow thought he might find the answer in her eyes if he kept looking. But of course, such a thing was stupid, no matter how deep and green her eyes were for a mere human, and the answer he sought remained lost.

So instead, he turned up his nose and looked down at her.

The action seemed to perplex her, and her cheery expression soured. She cocked her head to the side,  _a very bird-like manner_ , and scowled.

"Why do you do that?" she asked.

His questioning gaze seemed to serve as an answer enough, so she elaborated.

" _That_. Look down at people like they're beneath you. Like they're nothing."

Despite the nature of the question, there was nothing nasty about the way she asked it. Her tone was neutral as ever, like she was honestly curious to what the answer would be, instead of just judging and loathing him.

"Generally the people I give such a look to  _are_  inferior to me." he answered.

Her brows quirked for the slightest of seconds before she erupted into a fit of  _giggles_. Another notion that confused him. His expression only seemed to tickle her further, and her laughter intensified. And it was whilst she was laughing away, that something peculiar began to take place.

The grass around the base of the rock she sat began to sprout with new green shoots, and plants that would usually take all summer, flowered. Moss and weeds crept all up the surface of the rock, growing up through the cracks to where she sat, and the pink and blue petals brushed against the white of her dress softly. She didn't seem to notice what was taking place, still too caught up in her merry laughter, and the plants only continued to grow in sync with her action. He opened his mouth to avert her attention to the spectacle unfolding, but a shoot curling up his right ankle stopped him. Its leaves wound around his boot like gentle fingers and caressed the slick black material. As it did, however, it grew so much that it exhausted its energy, and wilted into a brown pulp that fell to the ground, dead.

Life and Death.

Light and Darkness, balanced in perfect harmony.

" _Human_."

She snapped out of her giggling bliss and turned her gaze upward to meet his. She stared at him with questioning eyes, before her gaze eventually drifted down.

And she saw nature's hands wrapped around the base of her makeshift rock seat, coiled around her lower half acting as a type of blanket, with ivy snaking up her legs. Her panic became apparent to Sesshoumaru, and his aura flared in turn. And the influence of his demonic energy turned the magic within her to black, and the wildly curling roots and flowers blackened also, before falling to the ground where they lie dead, like the ones at his feet.

"What . . . happened?"

"Your power influenced the nature around you,"

"How?"

"Pure energy has a positive effect on its surroundings. In this case, it appears to have encouraged things to grow. But corrupt energy does the opposite, thus why the plants have all died."

"Because you're here? And your demonic aura is influencing me?"

"Correct."

She stared down at the wilted plants and her expression held something that looked like dismay. She reached down and plucked a coal black chrysanthemum, and held it between her fingers delicately, its petals falling away to ashes.

"That's kind of sad," she said, eyes absorbing the deceased flower, "That these plants sprouted in one minute because of an atmosphere of light . . . Then died in that same minute because of the dark. Short-lived, don't you think?"

"Nothing lasts an eternity."

She looked up then.

"No? I guess not . . . Nothing lives forever. Not even an immortal like you."

He snorted. "I will never die."

"Nothing lasts an eternity." she repeated his words mockingly, and his eyes narrowed.

She still held the chrysanthemum in her hands and looked down at it once more. The green in her eyes flickered, and flashed a pale purple briefly, before returning to their original lime colour. And as they did, the flower in her hands dazzled a fine white . . .

And  _bloomed again_ , into a lush deep red that held the epitome of passion.

She smiled and glanced up at him through thick dark lashes, and her smile was laced with prideful joy. Her eyes were big and glowing in the light of the day, and Sesshoumaru could have sworn she was no human. For she couldn't be with expressiveness and delicate softness like that.

"It doesn't last unless you want it to," she said, "So you just have to want it bad enough."

Sesshoumaru wanted to stop silently comparing her to nature's goddess, or a haunting siren. He wanted to un-see the unmistakable loveliness shining away in her unearthly eyes. She was not even the most beautiful of humans he had seen before, her looks more plain than conspicuous, and her form lacking in curves and pitifully skinny. But no matter how he kept on picking out flaws like that, he always came back to those quixotically handsome green eyes, and he could not deny the humble prettiness of  _that_.

Because this human was something mystically ethereal, curious.

 _Mystery_.

And Sesshoumaru hated mysteries.

.

.

It was when the sun had made its graceful descent behind the hills and the moon was only just beginning to rise that Sesshoumaru's little group began their journey westward.

Octavia bid her farewells to Kagome and the others, before taking her position beside Rin and following Sesshoumaru into the dusty starlit road. She still couldn't quite work out why they had waited till nightfall to set off, but she supposed it had something to do with the Taiyoukai wanting to keep his ambiguous persona, and perhaps to avoid danger too.

Rin jogged beside her merrily, eyes as bright as ever and the usual smile adorning her features. Jaken trotted just in front of them, his small legs so stubby he had to practically run to keep up with his master. Ah-Un tailed the formation, its two heads scanning the area every so often in case of trouble. And despite the nature of the situation, Octavia couldn't help the wave of excited anticipation that washed over her as they walked. She had acquired a pair of socks from Kagome, so her boots no longer rubbed her toes and ankles, and her clothes had been thoroughly washed. Sango had also taken it upon herself to sew longer cotton sleeves onto the dress, making it warmer for traveling at night, but not too hot to boil in the sweltering noon heat.

She felt as clean as one could feel in the heart of feudal Japan without the luxury of proper soap and hair products, but she did long for a pair of straighteners or curling tongs to fix the mess that was her hair.

"How far is it to the castle?" Rin sang, and Jaken heaved a heavy sigh at the repeated question.

"I have told you millions of times now, Rin! We shall get there when we get there!"

Octavia smirked.

"Which is . . . ?" she joined in playfully.

"Oh don't  _you_  start too!"

Rin and she giggled in sync, as did Ah-Un from behind. Jaken tossed him a glare before turning his head to the front again, looking up at the back of his regal master.

A cicada chirped, and Octavia shifted her gaze to where it clutched onto the trunk of a tree with its claws. Its wings were translucent and pale in the dark, and the light from the moon painted them in a ghoul-like glow. It tilted its head to stare at her with its deep black eyes, and she stared into the murky abyss.

"Why are you looking at it like that?" Rin asked, "It's just a cicada."

"There's little to none of them where I come from, and it's rare to get so close to them like this even in other places."

"Are they really that wild and scared of humans in other places?"

"You could say that. In  _other places_."

"Cicadas generally aren't too spooked by most youkai, and certainly not humans." Jaken joined in, "Is it really like that in your homeland?"

"I guess gradual exposure to more people eventually scared them off."

Rin's brow furrowed. "But even if you don't usually get so close to them, why would you want to anyway? They're not really anything good-looking."

"Maybe not . . . But in a way, there's something kind of . . .  _captivating_  about the way they just sit there, clicking away secret tunes that get carried by the trees and on the wind. Like they're singing their secrets to anyone who might wander past . . . I just think it's kind of mysterious."

At some point, Sesshoumaru had stopped walking and stood several feet ahead of the rest of them, and just watched from the corner of his eye.

If Octavia had been looking at him instead of the supposedly alluring cicada, she would have noticed the lack of malice once again in his eyes that vanished under the cover of nightfall. Like he was seeing things in a new light, with a new conscience.

Like two sides of the moon.


	8. The line between fantasy and reality

For some reason, Sesshoumaru had decided to leave Octavia alone in the forest with Ah-Un, whilst he returned back to the castle with Jaken and Rin. When she had asked why she could not come too, he had merely replied that she and Rin could not be introduced to the imperial court  _together_.

She supposed that had something to do with a great assumption being made if their leader strolled in suddenly after being gone for centuries . . . with a human woman and a child.

So, yes, she understood his intentions a little.

But it still sucked.

She sat in a small clearing by Ah-Un, the firelight dimming and the sky growing lighter, and stifled a yawn. They had been walking all night, and Sesshoumaru walked  _fast_ , as she'd learned from following—or trying to keep up—so she was more than just a little tired. How the lead heroes in adventure stories stayed awake the amount of time they did was well beyond her.

Ah-Un let off a low rumble and tilted one of its heads down to her, and brushed its scaly muzzle against her right temple.

The action surprised her, and she turned her gaze sideward to regard the steel yellow eyes staring her out. The other head was laid out on the ground around her feet, leaving the remaining head upright and aware. It must be interesting to have two heads, she thought then. That would mean it had two brains, surely? Meaning two forms of consciousness? How did  _that_  work?

Two heads, one heart. So was it one creature or two?

And what  _gender_  was it?

Pushing the too-deep thoughts out of her head, she lifted a hand and ran it along the length of the dragon's face. The yellow of its eyes intensified and it released another low rumble, this one sounding contented and calm. Octavia thought of a childhood tune then, and found herself smiling at the memory. And before she knew it, she had begun to hum softly. Ah-Un's ears pricked at the sound of her quiet singing, and it listened intently as she continued to stroke at its muzzle. Octavia knew her singing had never been anything impressive; her voice grew dark and husky when she sang quietly, and she wasn't exactly the best at carrying a tune, but Ah-Un didn't seem to mind. Especially since the tune she was humming was hilariously relevant.

_"Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea . . ."_

The other head lowered and rested itself on her lap, and its metallic eyes drifted closed as it allowed the soft notes to drift into its twin sets of ears.

_". . . And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honalee."_

She supposed this place was a kind of version of Honalee then, and Ah-Un was as close to a magic dragon as one could get.

Her not-so-amazing humming was cut off by sudden streams of light being cast down onto her face, and she blinked rapidly at the brightness. The first rays of sun were just starting to crawl out from behind the mountains, and the pinkish yellow light shone with a dazzling quality that was both soothing and overwhelming to Octavia. The light was warm and gentle, and she closed her eyes and let it wash over her; a very cliché action she thought upon doing so.

At some point, Ah-Un's jolted in shock and skirted away from her, and she opened her eyes to regard it with confusion.

Until she realised that her body was cloaked in the thin spiritual mist again.

The contact must have burned or nearly burned him, which explained why he jumped away so fast. Octavia watched how he stood in a defensive stance, hind legs sticking up as if ready to pounce or run, and his two pairs of eyes followed her movements.

"I need to stop randomly drawing from nature, don't I?" she stated, feeling the warmth radiate from her palms.

Ah-Un watched the white flames flicker at her fingertips cautiously, leaving slightly back whenever they grew slightly. He reminded her of a cat, intently watching a can of spray and getting ready to jump back if sprayed at it.

"I'm not going to purify you,"

The dragon didn't seem so sure.

"Hey. Come on. I may have gone on a bit of a rampage before with the demonic energy, but this is different, it's easier with this. Watch."

She twirled the ghostly flames at her fingertips slowly, like tiny twisters, and cupped them together in her palms. Ah-Un's eyes watched the notion and looked rather surprised to see a cluster of green plants sprout below where she held her hands. It blinked, before taking a few cautious steps closer, eyes fixed on the growing wildlife. Octavia grinned and pushed more of the warmth out to the growing shoots, and continued until Ah-Un was no more than under a meter away.

 _That's it_ , she thought,  _Almost there, boy . . ._  Or  _boys_ , if they were even male.

The dragon finally came within range, and she reached out her glowing arm ever so slowly. Ah-Un winced at the movement, but didn't back away. She took the gesture as a sign of submission, or courage, and she lightly planted the palm of her hand on one of the head's muzzles . . .

The effect was instant, the youkai jolting at her touch and leaping back, as if she had burned him. Perhaps she had, but there was no mark on his flesh that she could see. Maybe the thing that had burned it so was simply fear? The fear a creature of darkness feels towards pure energy, and the automatic thought that it would burn. Sure it probably would, but it was the programmed belief that maybe influenced most of the response.

Like how you taught an animal to be afraid of a certain thing, in order to tame them.

 _Control_. It was essential, even in these feudal times. But the question was, what was it that felt the need to control this race of beasts? Certainly more than the hands of fate.

"Are you okay?" she asked, approaching Ah-Un slowly and withdrawing the spiritual energy from her fingertips.

The dragon whimpered and tilted the head she had burned away, and she felt a pang of hurt at the action. She stopped nearing and pulled her hands into her chest, and looked down at the ground. The morning sun dazzled on the drops of dew that gathered on the blades of grass, and the droplets dampened her boots. She felt a wave of discomfort wash over her, as well as guilt and a sense of impending doom. Which she pushed away by thinking that this was what every heroine in their story experienced at the start of their journey. It was normal.

But the truth was there was  _nothing_  normal about it.

She could delay the oddness of the situation no longer, and had to face it head-on . . .

She was stuck.

In ancient Japan.

Riddles and excitement aside, that was the simple truth. She'd been  _transported through time_  to a world  _hundreds_  of years prior to her own, where actual living  _demons_  roamed the lands, that were very much more than the stuff of legend. And that wasn't the whole of it . . .

She could do  _magic_.

Actual, proper magic, that had dire effects on the surroundings. This was more than just a fairy story. It was no dream; no crazy fantasy sequence her mind had conjured up.

It was real. It was all  _real._  And somehow she wasn't going crazy after realising that.

"My,  _my_! What  _do_  we have here?"

Octavia jolted at the unfamiliar voice and felt the energy surge in her palms. Ah-Un pushed its fear of the spiritual power and sprung to her side, heads risen and glancing in every direction. Octavia shifted closer to the dragon, keeping the power as low as possible to avoid burning it, and looked around for the source of the voice.

"It's no use looking around like that," the voice spoke again, "You can't see me, so please do stop. It makes you look stupid."

"Who are you?" Octavia called, "And why can't we see you?"

The voice giggled — high laughter like the tinkling of glass, and echoed out throughout the trees.

"I am a Yōsei. A Wood Sprite, and guardian of the forest. Of course, you cannot see me!"

"A Yōsei . . . You mean like a faerie?"

"Yes, if you'd like. I'm a faerie."

"And why can't we see you?"

"Because I do not like to be seen, that's why."

Octavia's brow creased. "Why don't you like to be seen?" she asked.

"It's not  _why_. . . It's more whom  _by_."

"Okay . . .  _Who_  don't you like to be seen by?"

In that precise moment, Ah-Un stiffened, its eyelids dropped, and it fell to the floor unconscious, confirming that the faerie didn't like to be seen by Youkai. The spectacle alarmed Octavia, and she knelt down to shake the beast frantically, calling its name. A bright golden light dazzled in the clearing then, blinding her for a moment. When she re-opened her eyes after the light had calmed, the sound of the fluttering of wings from behind caught her attention. She turned and gasped lightly at the sight.

When she'd said faerie, she'd been thinking of a standard storybook fairy, with colourful wings and a pretty little figure . . . What she  _saw_ , however, was quite similar to that mental image, but also quite different.

The Yōsei—as she had called herself—was very much a little person, with dainty legs and a pretty face, but that wasn't the whole of it. She was quite naked, beads of light shimmering around her to act as a brief covering of her female areas, though she wore the form of a little girl. Her eyes were glassy and raven black, like a bird's, and her wings looked to be made entirely of glittering golden light.

She stared at Octavia, fluttering mid-air, and regarded her curiously with her deep black eyes.

"Now you are a very strange apparition indeed," the faerie said, floating closer to get a better look, "You're human, with spiritual aspects . . . but you are not a miko. And there is darkness in you too, such darkness. And light. Darkness and light. But how can that be?"

"What did you do to Ah-Un?"

"Oh, the youkai? A simple sleeping spell, he'll wake up in a couple of hours."

Octavia reached out a finger and held it just in front of the tiny creature's body, unsure if she would appreciate being poked.

"Who  _are_  you? And how do you know about my magic?"

"I am Breena, spirit fae of these forest plains. And I can feel it, your magic; manifesting, growing, bursting all around. The trees have been restless, whispering. I feel it deep beneath my flesh, in my wings. There is something about you, my girl, that is not quite right."

"I suppose you could say that."

"Who are  _you_?"

"I am Octavia Petridis. I'm eighteen years old, human, and I come from a land far away from here."

"I thought you might be from elsewhere, your tone of accent and way of speaking is different to most I hear. How far away do you come from?"

"Farther than you can even begin to imagine."

"And what are you doing in this forest? So far from any human habitation and near a demon castle? Are you a girl that runs with monsters, like a select few I have seen before?"

"In a way. I'm traveling with Sesshoumaru and his companions to find a way to get my magic under control. He thinks the warlock at his castle might be able to help me."

Breena jumped at that and her wings fluttered wildly. "You are an acquaintance of Sesshoumaru-sama?" she inquired, "How very peculiar! He very rarely, if not at all, associates himself with humans, never mind those with spiritual magic. Why has he agreed to help  _you_?"

Octavia pondered.

". . . I guess he sees me as something that needs figuring out. A puzzle. He strikes me as the type of man who likes to know everything about those around him."

"Your assumptions are extremely bold, my girl. If he catches you speaking like that he will likely cut out your tongue. Puzzle or not."

"He can bloody well try."

Her black shark-like eyes widened with surprise and several glittering sparks fell from her wings.

"Your flair entices me," she said, "This raw fire you emit. Possibly it does Sesshoumaru-sama as well . . . I suspect that Nidawi-sama would take a particular shine to you if you two were to meet."

"Who's Nidawi-sama?"

"Why, the Oracle of this land, of course! She resides at the pinnacle of the mountain there, right at the tippy top in that gigantic tree you see. I will take you to her and she will see this spark of yours."

"Wait,"

Octavia took a step back.

"It's not a good idea for me to leave to trek up a mountain in search of some Oracle, I can't just leave Ah-Un here unconscious. And what if Sesshoumaru comes back? He won't know where I've gone–"

Apparently, Breena had stopped listening, for she took Octavia's thumb with her own two small hands and sent a bright light through the two of them, and Octavia's cry of surprise was cut short as they vanished into thin air. When they rematerialized, Octavia leaped away from the little spectre and bumped into a hard wall.

She turned and found it was thick bark, plants, and ivy snaking up, and she tilted her head up to find that they were in the inside of a very big tree. She stared up at the screen of vines and trees visible through the opening above and watched a flock of larks fly through the leaves.

Clusters of animals had made the tree their home; normal animals Octavia had seen before, and creatures she had not. Raccoons, monkeys, some extravagant form of wildcat, and beasts that looked like youkai, but at the same time did  _not_.

Perhaps they were spirits, she thought. Guardians of the forest like Breena was. They were odd folk all the same, yet they eyed  _her_  like she was the strange one.

"Come, Octavia of Lord Sesshoumaru's fellowship," Breena called from the center of the room, where a steep hole sat.

Octavia wandered over to the center of the room, and stood beside Breena at the edge of the hole. It was deep, and she couldn't see the bottom from where they were standing. She leaned forward and peered down into the murky depths, eyes squinting and nose crinkling up.

"Are we going down there?"

"Not I, but you are."

"How do I get down? Is there a ladder or–?"

She didn't get the chance to finish that sentence, because Breena tapped her astonishingly forcefully on the back, and sent her tumbling over the edge. She shrieked but the sound eventually trailed away, and she felt the wind gushing on her face as she tumbled down into the pit of the tree, darkness swallowing and hair thrust into her face.

She hit the bottom with a soft  _thump!_ , the fall more cushioned than she'd expected.

Shoving hair out of her face and mouth, tucking it behind her ears, she sat up. It was pitch black down there, and Octavia couldn't see a thing. Until slowly . . . tiny coloured lights began to flicker on. Pink, blue, green, lighting a path of breadcrumbs from where she sat to somewhere else. She pushed herself up and squeezed the fabric of her dress, before carefully treading along the illuminated path. She looked to see if Breena had followed, but there was no sign of anyone else with her. All she saw were the lights, leading her down a glowing path towards something she didn't know, and if she got into trouble, no one would know where to find her. That wasn't as scary as it should have been.

Finally, the path of lights came to an end, and Octavia stopped at the final flickering purple ember. It eventually vanished too, leaving her alone in complete darkness. She clutched the fabric of her dress again and swallowed, closing her eyes and feeling the energy fluctuating all around her.

Calmly, she pulled it into herself and breathed out, a thin mist stretching out like a glowing veil, and a sudden voice shook her when it spoke.

"The Shikon no tama?"

Octavia swallowed and stood her ground.

"No. Just me."

" _Just you_? Who are you?"

"My name is Octavia. Breena sent me here to find someone called Nidawi-sama, could you tell me where to find them? Or at least tell me where I might?"

The voice let out a low, throaty chuckle, and the mist around Octavia wavered.

"Oh my dear child . . .  _I_ am Nidawi."

The darkness faded away then to reveal the pit of the tree, the ground completely coated in soft damp moss and the walls painted with vines. The dampness came from the thin streams of water that ran down from the surface, cool droplets splattering the wood a darker brown and gathering on Octavia's boots.

A brighter column of light fell upon the space she was standing in, and a figure gathered in front of her in the form of tiny flying insects to create the body of a woman . . .

The woman held the same look about her that Breena had, only she was considerably less tiny. Nidawi was a tall woman, towering way above Octavia, with slender legs, strong cheekbones, and a bow-shaped mouth. Her skin resembled the bark on a tree more than it did flesh, and her hair was thick glossy brown with pink blossoms flowering throughout. She had the same hollow black eyes as Breena too – piercing and ominous. Octavia looked at her and saw the exact image her mind would conjure up for a tree spirit.

Nidawi regarded her with the same level of captivation, and her perfect brows furrowed as she studied the human in front of her.

"Now you  _are_  an interesting little entity," she uttered gently, "Human, clearly, though you do not look like the women around these parts at all, nor does your accent sound authentic. And the forces I feel flowing inside you . . . Light  _and_  dark. Shikon magic. You say Breena sent you here to me?"

Octavia forced herself to nod.

"Yes. She seemed to think you'd find me interesting."

"Oh, I find you very interesting . . .  _Octavia_. There is Shikon energy inside of you, which is fascinating enough, but that is not the most interesting part . . . What is really interesting is that the energy has not been put there; it is a part of you. You were born with it like someone is born with the gift for singing. It is woven into your personal code naturally."

"I was told by a Youkai from this time that this has been a part of my bloodline for a long time, and has eventually been passed down to me. But I don't understand why."

"This time? You speak as if you are not from farther than just these lands, like you told Breena. You speak as if you come from another  _world_."

"How did you . . . ?

"How did I know you'd told Breena that?" she asked with amusement lacing her tone, "I am linked to every creature in this forest. I simply have to tune in, and I know everything I need to know."

"And you know things about me?"

"I know the tale of the Shikon no tama, how it came to be, how it was destroyed, and the legend that goes with it. Do you know it? The prophecy?"

Octavia looked down at the mossy turf and chewed on the inside of her cheek.

_"When the shards have been scattered, de-shattered, and finally demolished," she recited from Totosai's words, "Only then will the true power of the Shikon truly be unleashed, through the stone eighth born in the bloodline. The sky shall rain with flames, demonkind will erupt into ashes, and darkness shall fall."_

"This youkai told you that? You have a very good memory for a human."

"I've always been good at remembering things."

"And creating things?" she suggested coyly, "Thinking . . . Dreaming . . .  _Painting_?"

". . .  _Yes_. How did you know that?"

Nidawi gave a knowing smile.

"Did this Youkai tell you the story behind that prophecy?" she asked.

Octavia's dumbfounded expression gave her the answer.

"Every good prophecy has a story that goes along with it. You must know that at least, with you and your stories."

 _She knows about the writing too_ , her brain whispered.  _She knows about the painting and the writing_.  _How do they do that?_

"And that's what this prophecy has." Nidawi smiled knowingly.

"A story."


	9. Memories become stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, I hope you're enjoying the story. You all seem to like Octavia, I gathered from your comments, and I'm glad you like her.
> 
> If it's fantasy you've been wanting (if there hasn't already been enough), this chapter will hopefully satisfy you. I'm revealing more of the storyline with Nidawi's story, and there's a key happening in this chapter for Octavia, but I can't tell you any more than that without spoiling it. I hope you enjoy it, because I genuinely am quite proud of this chapter, so I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it!
> 
> As for the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Octavia... Obviously, there's no romantic bond yet. We're only on chapter nine, people. This story is a slow burn, and they're not (Sesshoumaru especially) going to develop strong romantic feelings for each other in such a short time span. What there is between them, however, is an intrigue. As much as he hates to admit it, Sesshoumaru is very intrigued by Octavia and where she comes from, and Octavia is very captivated (again not in a romantic way) by Sesshoumaru. They are very different, but like some of you reviewing said, they're also very similar, and that's what Sesshoumaru needs in a significant other.
> 
> He needs someone who can challenge him. Get under his skin and make him question himself. And that's what I'm trying to do with Octavia.

In the beginning, there were Four Stars swimming through the sea of black. Four dazzling beacons of light spiraling on through the vast nothingness and leaving trails of scintillating stardust in their wake. They scared the darkness away and lit the way for younger stars to grow, worlds to turn, and rocks built of fire and ice to fly.

The names of these Stars were  _Aramitama_ , the Goddess of Courage,  _Kushimitama_ , the God of Knowledge,  _Nigimitama_ , the God of Companionship, and  _Sakimitama_ , the Goddess of Love.

They flew through the universe that had just begun to turn and rained down sparks of life onto the spinning worlds.

The sparks grew like seeds in the soil, into creatures ― man . . . animal . . . hundreds of lifeforms frolicking in the fields of a thousand worlds, bathed in sun and starlight. They lived in harmony and ate from the fruit in the trees, laughing and playing together like children should.

Satisfied with their work, the Four Original Stars made a castle for themselves on top of the clouds, above one particular world made from foliage and ocean, and there they lived peacefully, watching down over the world without a sound.

The female two of the Four birthed children, that scattered out across the universe, each one a different shade of colour and brightness to its brothers and sisters.

The children of Aramitama grew brasher in their time above the clouds; violent in nature in their kingdom beneath the stars, and longed for the world below where man and animal danced free in the open fields. Their tastes grew to see those fields  _burn_ , and they rained down fire and thunderstorms that ripped the surface of the world apart. From the crevices grew valleys and mountains, and areas the fire scorched too harshly simply would not grow grass again.

Barren wastelands spread. Lands with no water . . . No greenery . . . Just dusty, brown, cracked earth.

Because of the devastation caused, the children of Aramitama were banished from their home in the heavens, and they fell to the world below that they'd ruined.

These children, consumed by their bitterness and thirst for perish, fled to the shadows and crawled in the dust like insects. During their time in the shadows, whilst man flourished in the light, they began to change.  _Mutate_  into something else . . . Something not very God-like at all. They grew horns, webbed feet, and sharp teeth that could pierce any metal. Their bodies warped and their diets changed to more . . . carnivorous tastes. On their newly turned paws, grew claws, claws that liked to rip into the stomachs of man and feast on their insides. They ravished the flesh of mankind, mated with animals, and evolved.

They became  _Youkai_.

The Four Original Stars were sad to learn of this terrible outcome, and Aramitama wept tears for her lost children, that caused floods to flow across the world below. Sakimitama could not bear to see her sister in such sorrow, and the pain she felt at seeing her like that drew tears of her own, but not enough to cause floods.

These tears fell to the world below and planted  _new_  seeds in the soil, filled with light and love. These seeds grew into people, almost exact replicated forms of mankind, only with a little extra added into the biological code.

They had the power to manipulate light and pure energy, and channel it through themselves as simply as their ability to breathe, serving as binary opposites to the youkai.

They were  _monks_  and  _mikos_.

These people practiced the power the Stars bestowed upon them, and worshipped them from their temples they built. Sakimitama was their queen; their mother, and they loved her like any child would love one's parent. They used their spiritual energy to vanquish any youkai they stumbled upon, and the war between human and beast began, and the Four Stars could only watch from the heavens with tear-filled eyes, but this time they dared not shed their tears in the fear of what they may breed next.

Over a thousand years later, years of conflict and innocent bloodshed, Kushimitama sent down one of his many sons with a very important task.

To plant the seed of a very special miko in a human woman's womb.

This miko would grow to possess all of the four personality traits that the Four Stars had ― bravery, wisdom, amity, and compassion. And with those, she would defeat the evil beasts that plagued the world they'd all nurtured like a child . . . She would  _triumph_.

After nine long months of war, a baby was born from the woman.

A little girl, whom she called:  _Midoriko_.

Over the years, Midoriko grew into a fine young woman, molded by her duties as a miko, and became a powerful adversary to the youkai. With each of the four personality traits of the Four Stars flaring within her being, she fought the beasts, slaying dozens of them each second, causing their blood to paint the ground red and sprout new plants.

New lives. New stories.

During her battles, she captured the heart of a young man with malicious intent and sinister nature. Consumed by his crude yearning for her, he sold his soul to demons and created an entity constructed entirely of evil, known as  _Magatsuhi_ , that waged battle with Midoriko for seven days and seven nights.

The fight was long and hard, and neither side showed no signs of defeat.

 _Or_  victory.

Nigimitama knew the miko would not be able to win this battle, so he gathered the other Original Stars together, and they clasped their hands together in a chant.

A song of worlds; of the universe; for their children they could not keep safe.

Midoriko felt the will of her Four Gods and knew what they planned to do. So with their intent clear in her mind, she leaped into the jaws of Magatsuhi and summoned every ounce of her remaining power, along with the energy from the Stars . . . and released it.

This action resulted in the crystallization of them both, their bodies thrust together and frozen in diamond, and from her chest burst a small, purple sphere.

The Jewel glittered a brilliant pink when held by one of a pure heart, and blackened to a foul shade of dusk when touched by one consumed by sin. The Jewel contained a little piece of the Four Stars, a part of their souls placed into it to give Midoriko the strength to fight on deep inside the gemstone, endlessly at war with the youkai inside.

A fight that would go on forever, lasting all eternity if the Jewel could not be fully depleted to free the belligerent miko.

And the Stars simply watched from their home in the heavens and wept.

.

.

Octavia listened to the tale Nidawi was telling her intently, eyes pleasantly wide and brows drawn up in fascination.

The Wood Sprite gazed down at her with those hollow black eyes and smiled with intrigue. She tossed a curtain of dark hair over her shoulder elegantly and plucked at the fabric of her green kimono dress.

"So this story is what people tell to back up that prophecy? This fairy tale about the stars and a jewel?"

"Your tone is doubting, my girl. You find this difficult to take in?"

"No, it's not that. It's just . . . This is a story. A legend. It didn't really happen. It doesn't prove or sort anything."

"And that is where you are wrong. All stories have a whisper of truth in them, and every fairy tale holds traces of actual happening. That is where memories go when we forget them — they renovate into stories, passed down generation after generation. Tales like these inspire, excite, and entice those listening, and that is what we want when we must dig up old memories such as these. We wish to be entertained by the knowledge and moved by the sorrow. You know that, surely, from all your books of romance and whimsical adventure?"

Octavia's features softened and she looked down at her boots.

"Of course I know that . . ." she whispered, "That's why I read them. But that doesn't change the fact that they aren't completely real."

Nidawi smiled and shook her head, before striding forward and gliding over to where Octavia stood. When she reached her, she put a hand gently on her shoulder and then tilted her chin up with her thumb.

"Do not be so quick to dismiss such things, Octavia." she said, "You of all people should believe them the most."

"I  _want_  to believe in them, but look where I am. I'm in my nightie, hundreds of miles away from home, maybe in another dimension where monsters run free, and I can do magic. Actual, proper,  _magic_. . . And you want to tell me that all of this is more than just some crazy dream I'm having?"

"Child, it is  _because_  of those things that you should believe such things are real. You know this is no dream, nor is it a hallucination of any kind. Your fantasy has merged with your reality, and your stories are true."

"Even the part where I'm a sort of mage that wields ancient magic from a centuries-old gemstone called the Shikon? From a myth about four stars that became Gods?"

Nidawi pushed a few strands of hair out of Octavia's face and tucked them behind her ear.

" _Especially_  that part." she smiled.

Octavia chewed the inside of her cheek and looked down. Despite the irrationality and severity of it all . . . Deep down, she knew it was right. It was all true, all reality, and the furthest one could reach from a dream.

This was a memory before it became one of those stories.

"So how does that story tie into me?" she asked, tilting her head back up.

Nidawi's expression softened and she took a step back from Octavia.

She pointed a finger down at the clumps of moss on the floor, and they suddenly began to glow.

A bright, luminous pale green, the plants stretching and reaching up to curl around the Wood Sprite's extended finger. The light expanded and stretched all around, ghosting Octavia's cheeks with its faint touch and sending strands of hair floating around her head. It was a picturesque occurrence, truly magical, and she found herself entranced by it.

Eventually, the moss parted to reveal a large blossom plant, which opened its petals to reveal a small glowing object, that hovered skyward and stopped above Nidawi's wooden palm.

The green and purple light finally died down to reveal the identity of the object . . .

It was a blade.

A small dagger-like weapon with a smooth blade and tiny crystals embedded in the handle. The small gemstones glinted curiously in the eerie light, winking at her, and the larger oval stone at the point where the blade met the handle was glittering a ferocious navy purple.

Octavia stared at it, wide-eyed with lips parted in awe, and Nidawi chuckled.

She reached out a hand slowly as if to touch it, but stopped before her fingertip could grace the beautiful object.

"What is it?"

"It's called the  _Blade of Four Reikon_."

". . . The what?"

"The Blade of Four Reikon. It is a sacred knife passed down through generations, from the original ancestors born from the Goddess Sakimitama. It was given to Midoriko's mother prior to the birth, and was passed onto the child to use as her own."

"What does it do? Apart from just being a knife."

Nidawi raised an elegant brow, "What gives you the impression that it is capable of anything  _else_?"

Octavia stared at the blade, puzzled.

"I don't know . . ." she said, "There's just something about it. The way it sits there, silent and glinting. Like it's watching. Waiting . . . It feels like it  _knows_  things, things it shouldn't know."

"One thing you should know about this knife is that it cannot inflict physical wounds. It is useless in that aspect."

Octavia's brow furrowed.

"What use is a blade that can't cut?" she asked.

"You would be surprised, young one. Simply ask Sesshoumaru-sama. True, the blade is not able to cut flesh and bone, but it  _can_  cut something  _else_."

"Which is?"

"Souls."

Octavia blinked once, slowly, and trailed her vision back down to the mysterious weapon.

" _Souls_?" she repeated.

"Yes." Nidawi nodded, "The word  _Reikon'_  after all, translates to the intelligence of a soul within a living creature, in your language. Therefore, it makes sense for such a thing to be what the knife can cut."

_In your language._

"You know the first language I speak?" she breathed, and Nidawi chuckled.

"But of course I do." she smiled, in  _English_ , Octavia was astounded to realise, "I refrained from telling you another one of the weapon's powers, didn't I?"

"What's this other power?"

"It opens the minds of others and beams their thoughts into yours. Their stories, their memories, their songs. I see it all. I see  _you_ , Octavia Petridis, from the land beyond the wishing well."

Octavia's eyes widened.

Nidawi chuckled.

"You fear you have fallen into something so complex you cannot understand, and the thing you fear most is the sense of almost  _joy_  you feel from being in this land. The enjoyment you receive from walking on alien plains, even though monsters wait around every corner, hoping to devour you whole. You are way out of your element, yet you are not afraid."

"I . . . I just feel . . ."

Eighth born.

Eighth hour.

"It's like I was  _born_  to do this. Like everything I ever did was leading up to this. I can't explain it, but . . . I don't have to, do I? Not with this knife sending you my every thought."

All the memories. All the songs.

All the stories.

"I am Octavia Petridis from the land beyond the well, and I am  _not_  afraid."

And Nidawi smiled at that, her cracked wooden flesh stretching at the edges, and her hollow eyes held a flicker of light in them.

She placed the Reikon Blade into Octavia's hand and closed her fingers over it.

"You are," she said, "And this  _is_  what you were born to do."

"But what does any of this have to  _do_  with me?"

She smiled wider.

"You will know when the time is right, my child. You will know."

.

.

Sesshoumaru zipped through the trees like a bullet, features obscured by the blur of white and his silver mane billowing behind him like a wing.

He had left Jaken and Rin in the castle and ventured back for Ah-Un and the human. But when he had returned to the spot where he'd left them, Ah-Un was unconscious, and  _she_  was gone.

Infuriating. They were all the same, these humans. Incapable of following simple orders.

 _Maddening_.

Ah-Un had awoken due to his presence, and sped off to the castle on Sesshoumaru's orders, whilst he went to track down the exasperating human. He followed her scent deep into the forest, where the consecrated animals and tree spirits were known to dwell, and felt her mystical presence all around.

It filled the air like a poison; liquid nitrogen, flooding his senses and burning his Youki.

He felt the spirits whispering around him, and at a certain point found himself unable to go on.

The air was thick with pure energy, dispersing like clouds, and he seemed to have reached a type of spiritual barrier that only those with such power could pass through.

He snarled, eyes bleeding red due to the surroundings, and the animals in the area flocked and fled because of his reaction. Heading towards transforming, not on his own will, the invasion of his senses suddenly stopped, and everything went quiet. The red faded from his eyes, and his fangs shrunk back to their original size, an odd atmosphere of calm falling upon him.

And there  _she_  was, coming out from the trees beyond the barrier, absurd dress filthy and her hair knotted with greenery and dew.

She spotted him and came jogging, a peculiar grin plastered onto her face, and Sesshoumaru's mouth tightened.

"Sorry I wasn't with Ah-Un," she apologized once having reached him, "Basically, I was snatched by a fairy called Breena, and teleported into this huge magical tree with a hole at the center."

"The  _Tree of Seishin Hoshi_ ," he said, "Translating to  _Tree of Star Souls_."

Her brows rose in unusual delight.

"That's actually quite a fitting name." she said.

"What took place inside the tree? Speak in English to avoid any who may be listening to understand."

"Um . . . Okay."

She switched tongues.

"Breena took me deep into the tree, where I met a Wood Sprite named Nidawi. She told me a story about the Four Souls of the Shikon Jewel, of how they were Four Stars who created the universe and put life on this planet, and how they made man,  _and_  youkai."

The Four Souls of the Shikon no tama.

Sesshoumaru frowned inwardly. It seemed as if they would never be rid of that impudent stone. Not even after how Inuyasha and his wench had blown it to oblivion with her 'selfless' wish.

"That's not all," she said, reaching into her dress for something, "She also gave me this."

She withdrew a knife from her bosom, a small silver one, with crystals and a smooth purple gem encrusted into the handle. The purple gem gleamed in the sunlight, almost like it was winking at him, and a beam of light shone up and down the length of the undeniably beautiful blade.

"It's called the  _Blade of Four Reikon_ ," she explained, "A knife that can cut souls rather than physical beings. I thought that was a little bit weird, but Nidawi told me to ask  _you_  about swords that can't cut. I don't know what she meant by that."

Sesshoumaru frowned outwardly at that.

It almost felt like Tenseiga was laughing, down at his hip, but when he glanced down briefly, the sword was silent. Bakuseiga sat at its side, silent as well, the two staring up at him with probing intrigue, and he dismissed them both with a scowl.

When he looked back up, the human was staring at him oddly, like he'd just been doing something completely out of the ordinary . . . Before she smiled, almost laughingly, like she held a hidden secret.

"Yes?" he questioned harshly.

"Were you worried about me?"

He snorted.

She grinned widely, cheeks glimmering with elated glee, and she bit down on her lip to hold in what he supposed was a laugh.

"Did you?" she pushed.

"Do not speak nonsense, human. Your welfare means nothing to me."

"Then why did you come looking for me?"

Preposterous.

He had merely come because he would not tolerate the betrayal of his subjects by them slaughtering someone who was under his protection.

That was all.

"I did not wish to see the forest painted with more blood," he answered, "Plus, you require the help of my warlock, and he cannot help a dead little blood splatter."

Her grin widened, the answer apparently amusing her, and she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears.

"That seems reasonable," she smiled, " _Perfectly_  understandable."

". . . Hmph."

Her expression was starting to annoy him now, so he turned his back and began to walk away.

He felt her aura flare when he did that. Not with hostility, just with giddiness, oddly enough. And the sound of her footsteps following after him sounded.

Tenseiga pulsed at his hip then.  _Violently_ , causing him to stop just as quickly as he'd started walking. The human said something, but he did not hear, his mind occupied with the purpose for the sword's little outburst. But when he looked down at it, it was silent once more.

His brow creased, lips pressed together tightly, and he felt the human's gaze on the mysterious blade at his hip.

"What's wrong?" she asked, stepping closer.

He didn't reply.

"Sesshoumaru? Are you  _alright_?"

He still didn't reply, but what he  _did_  do instead caused her to squeal in astonishment.

He reached out and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder so quickly she didn't have time to shriek about what he was doing, before he leaped up and took to the skies.

Her legs thrashed against his chest, her fists clutching the back of his haori, and she screamed as he increased speed.

"You're  _insane_!" he heard her shout over the howling wind, and he nearly smirked.

_Insane, hm?_

She wasn't wrong.

She tightened her hold on him to avoid falling off, and he soared through the air like a shooting star, invisible to anyone on the ground. The wind whipped through his hair and kimono sleeves, sending them billowing backward, and one particular leap upward sent the human knocking against his armour.

She stopped screaming then and went unusually quiet, so he landed on top of a rocky cliff and put her down from over his shoulder.

She was  _unconscious_ , he noticed then, and she sagged against him when her feet touched the ground, forcing him to hold her up by her shoulders. She must have knocked herself out on his armor, and the high altitude and shock must have been too much for her, on top of the added effect of being teleported by faeries and bestowed with ancient knives.

She balanced against him, head rolled to the side on her shoulder, and her eyelids were closed. He gave her a firm shake, watching as her head wobbled and her lips parted slightly, but she didn't awake.

Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks, strands of hair falling forward into her face, and he found himself briefly considering brushing them away . . . Before he stopped himself.

 _Are you alright?_ she'd asked.

It was nothing major, or particularly out of the ordinary, but for some reason, those words  _bothered_  Sesshoumaru. Wouldn't leave his thought process, those three meaningless words echoing on repeat endlessly.

_Sesshoumaru?_

_Are you alright?_

He wasn't sure why it rubbed him this way, or why he was even thinking about it at  _all_.

But . . . She'd asked him.

She'd asked him if he was ok.

She wasn't the first person to ask him something like that, of course, but she was the first person to make him stop and  _think_.

She'd noticed his reaction to Tenseiga's small outburst and voiced her thoughts. But instead of just asking what the source of his reaction was, she'd proceeded to ask about his wellbeing instead.

 _Why did she care?_  he found himself thinking with a scowl, frowning at her sleeping face basked in gentle sunlight. What was it that made her interested in something like that? What was it about this curious little human, that made him so fascinated?

She wasn't anything extraordinarily special. Wasn't of impressive nobility or standard. Wasn't really all that much to look at, with her small bony frame and lack of feminine curves.

She was of average appearance, not anything ethereal or otherworldly.

None of that mattered though. Somehow. That wasn't what drew him in.

He considered at one point that she might've been using some kind of spell to captivate him by her existence, but he soon ruled it off because of her lack of practice. She was in reality, all she claimed to be.

A girl.

Just a girl.

A human girl from a faraway land of English tongue. Nothing particularly enchanting. Nothing sinister, nothing delightful to the senses.

But she was so  _interesting_. So much so that it  _angered_  him, not knowing the story behind her.

Totosai had expressed her importance and power, and despite the idiocy of the impudent fool, Sesshoumaru thought it better to take into account what the old demon blacksmith had said. So he picked her back up and slung her over his shoulder, and flew off in the direction of his castle by the coast, his thoughts filled with her question about his wellbeing.

_You can't run, Sesshoumaru._

_Not from that._


	10. Witches and warlocks

When Octavia awoke, unaware of when exactly she'd fallen asleep, she found herself laid out on a luxurious four-poster bed with crisp white sheets and exquisite embroidery patterning the pillows. White curtains of silk hung down from the top of the bed, hiding her in a little den of sorts, and she stretched her arms out over the sheets.

She sat up, rubbing her groggy eyes with her palm, and pushed a few clumps of hair out of her face. She then noticed that she was clothed in a thin silk night kimono, white as the sheets, and she panicked over who had  _undressed_  and put her in it. Crawling out from beneath the covers and pushing the translucent curtains aside, she stepped out onto the extravagant rug on her bare feet. She tightened the obi around her waist and walked over to the large mirror across the room, stopping just before it.

Her reflection stared back at her, hair ruffled and skin luminous.

Her eyes were big and glowing, the green unusually bright, and her cheeks had obtained a healthy looking glow.

She looked . . . different, somehow.

Not overly. But still different.

Fingers ghosting over the handle of a hairbrush on the bedside table, she picked it up and began running it through her messy waves, smoothing them down into something that looked less like a tatty bush. Studying the rest of the table contents and admiring the elegance of the layout and colouring, she picked up a blue glass perfume bottle and puffed it onto her neck, coughing slightly at the powerful aroma. The droplets of perfume ran down her neck, dampening the hem of the kimono and making it more see-through. The liquid beads glistened in the afternoon light, and Octavia turned her head in the direction of the open balcony doors.

Feet still bare, she wandered out onto the marble balcony, all the way over to the railing at the edge, and stood to marvel at the sights.

The view revealed open gardens at the grounds of the building she recognised as a castle structure – green plains with lush trees and colour stretching out for short miles until they reached a harbour by the sea. The ocean was blue, bleeding purple because of the setting afternoon sun, and the boats loomed tall in the bay, sails white and billowing.

Octavia stared out to sea, her memories of oceans quite unlike this.

The oceans she had seen in her travels had been beautiful, absolutely, but they all paled in comparison to  _this_  view. This sea was pure; new; untainted by the pollution and hand of man. Waves rising and crashing down into streams of white foam, its surface tickled by the rays of the sun. She watched the water dance in the distance, waves splatter across the horizon like paint on a canvas, and her fingers itched for a paintbrush to attempt at capturing the scene.

A knock on the bedroom door interrupted the upsurge of tranquillity she had momentarily found, and Octavia turned on the balcony and headed back inside. Pausing with her hand reached out for the handle, she stared at the varnished wood of the door silently.

Another knock sounded, followed by a familiar voice that set her at ease.

"Octavia-san? Are you awake? It's me, Rin."

Octavia breathed a sigh of relief and turned the door handle.

Rin stood in the doorway, clothed in a royal blue layered kimono with her hair styled with pins and combs. She wore a bright smile on her face, her lips painted a peachy pink, and her cheeks were powdered with a light dusting of a cream shade.

"Hello, Rin." Octavia mirrored the smile.

Surprising her slightly, Rin darted closer and wrapped her arms around Octavia's waist, hugging her tightly.

Octavia stared down at the girl, eyes wide and brows drawn up, and Rin smiled against her stomach.

"I was worried about you," she said after pulling away, "I thought you'd been captured by an Oni and eaten. I was glad when Sesshoumaru-sama assured me you were just fine, and that faeries didn't eat humans."

"Is Sesshoumaru here now?"

"In the castle? Yeah, he's in here somewhere. He's probably talking to the warlock he wants you to meet and sorting things out there. He'll come for you when it's time to meet though, so don't worry."

"I wasn't worrying; I was just wondering."

Rin grinned.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. If you want to."

She clasped her hands together in excitement and rushed in past Octavia, closing the door behind her. Octavia watched her spiral in dance at the center of the room, stopping in front of the mirror to look at her reflection, before her attention was temporarily turned to the open balcony.

"Have you been out to see?" she asked, turning her head back.

Octavia nodded, "I have. It's  _beautiful_."

"It really is."

"And this is Sesshoumaru's land?"

"This and all the other surrounding areas. He owns the entire West, Octavia-san! This is just the beginning."

"So he's a sort of king?"

"Yep. The toughest king of them all!"

"And he's in charge of politics and land states? As well as organising what happens if there's a war? What do they do when he just wanders off and leaves them to make decisions for themselves?"

"You sure do ask a lot of weird questions," Rin said, and Octavia half-smiled.

"Sorry," she mumbled bashfully, "Just interested, is all."

"That's okay. Sesshoumaru-sama  _is_  interesting!  _Everything_  about him is interesting!"

Octavia chewed the inside of her cheek as Rin spun around some more on the scarlet rug on the floor.

"Forgive me if this sounds intrusive . . ." she started, "But what's your relationship with Sesshoumaru, Rin?"

Rin stopped spinning and looked at Octavia with those same big, cheery eyes, but this time there was an element of sadness shimmering in them.

A spark of sorrow, and for a moment Octavia wondered if she shouldn't have asked that.

"You don't have to answer if—"

"No, no it's okay." the little girl interrupted, waving her hands about, "I was just thinking about it . . . Remembering."

_Please don't be something awful._

"The first time I met Sesshoumaru-sama, I was a very little girl. I was living in a village alone since my family . . . They were gone, so it was just me. The people in that village didn't like me very much, probably because I always used to steal their fish and crops. I got punished for that though."

_Oh Lord . . ._

Octavia walked to the center of the room and lowered to her knees, so that Rin was towering slightly above her.

". . . They hurt you?" she asked carefully.

Rin nodded, eyes trained on the floor and usual smile vacant.

"It's because I was small . . . And a thief . . . They said I  _deserved_  it."

Octavia slid her hands into Rin's and squeezed.

She stared up into the girl's sad brown eyes and breathed slowly.

"No matter how small, or how much of a thief . . . It's  _never_  right to hit a child.  _Never_."

"It's not like it's uncommon," Rin laughed quietly, blinking away the rare tears that were threatening to form, "People hit children all the time. It's how they teach them to be good, and to  _not_  steal."

"But does that make it right?"

Rin opened her eyes and gazed down at Octavia, watching the brazen determination shining in her eyes, and she released a shaky breath.

"I . . ." she stuttered, ". . . I don't know."

"Would Sesshoumaru ever hit you to teach you not to be bad?"

She reacted strongly to that, eyes going wide with shock.

"No, not ever!" she cried, shaking her head, "Sesshoumaru-sama is kind and noble. He would never hurt me! Never,  _never_!"

"And why not?"

Rin's brow furrowed at the tiny smile tugging at Octavia's lips. "What do you mean:  _why_?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't he hit you?"

"Because . . . He's honourable. He doesn't believe in things like that. He . . . He wouldn't ever hurt me because he'd think it was wrong."

Octavia's smile widened and she stood up.

"And there you have it. Sesshoumaru knows that doing something like that is wrong, and if he thinks so, then it must be true. Because Sesshoumaru-sama is always . . . ?"

Rin's brow furrowed in thought, her fingers squeezing Octavia's, before her eyes finally grew in realisation.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is always  _right_!" she cried with joy.

"There you go."

Rin smiled up at Octavia, eyes glittering and cheeks flushed with admiration, and she led her over to the chair by the bedside table.

"I can tell you the rest of the story now," she offered, "Whilst I help you get ready."

"You're sure? You don't have to."

"Yeah . . . I  _want_  to."

Octavia's smile was soft as Rin ran the brush through her hair.

"Then go ahead, Rin," she whispered gently.

.

.

Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West and eldest son of the Inu no Taisho repressed a sigh as he strolled through the halls of his castle. He had just returned from speaking with Cyril—the castle's appointed warlock—and was feeling rather exasperated because of the weightiness of the conversation.

Like he had expected, Cyril had outraged and panicked over the fact that the girl was  _human,_  something that was seen as taboo because of his father's relationship with Inuyasha's futile mother.

The news of Rin was big enough in the kingdom, but if word got out about  _this_. . . It would be the beginning of Sesshoumaru's downfall.

He walked down the halls in the eastern part of the castle, delaying his journey towards the infuriating human as much as possible, and stopped in the section with an open roof. He glanced up at the blue sky dusting with orange and felt a light breeze blow in from above, and catch the shorter strands of hair against his brow, forcing them to dance mechanically.

And then he felt it.

 _Her_ , drawing closer, aura flaring like a beacon, and his youki flickered in the depths of his being. He looked down from the afternoon sky and saw her coming around the corner and out into the open-roofed corridor, eyes trained on her sandal-clad feet and not noticing him standing a few feet away. She looked up eventually and seemed somewhat surprised, stopping and staring at him, before her lips curled up into a tiny smile which both annoyed and perplexed him.

"Hey," she said lightly, the green of her eyes bright and heavily defined by a subtle eyelid colouring she had on. Her cheeks were also smeared with a dusting of white powder, and her lips had been coloured a careful, refined shade of rose.

The makeup was applied well, most likely done by Rin, but for some reason, Sesshoumaru didn't particularly like it on her. He didn't predominantly like her general appearance at  _all_ , but this addition to her natural features made her profile seem false and synthetic.

It stripped the rawness away from the brash will he'd seen shimmering away in her eyes. It covered the puzzle she posed, obscured his vision of her, and made her motives even harder to decipher.

He had built his entire persona on that of an undetectable enigma, but somehow  _she_  was so much more elusive than he could  _ever_  hope to be.

"Is there a reason you're just standing here staring at the sky?" her English broke through his train of thought.

His eyes narrowed and the wind stopped teasing his silver bangs.

The mask was back on.

"The warlock will see you shortly," he answered back in her native tongue, completely ignoring her inquiry.

If she was bothered by his lack of an answer to her question, she kept it in, for her newly trimmed and tinted brows rose at his statement.

"What did you tell him already?"

"Simply the basis of the situation, and that you are merely an impudent human female."

Brief vexation flashed in her eyes, but again she repressed it.

"And what did he have to say about that?"

_He was appalled by the fact that I would even associate with a silly human wench, let alone consider bringing one into my palace . . ._

_He fears that I would be foolish enough to make the same mistake as my foolish father._

"He reacted . . . indifferently to learning your species," he answered, instead of voicing his thoughts.

"Another human hater, huh? Why am I not surprised . . . ? Is that why you had the room I was in cloaked?"

He raised a sharp brow.

"What gives you the impression I had done—or have the  _power_  to do—that?"

She smirked sheepishly.

"To be honest, I want to reply with something super clever . . . but really it was just that Rin told me," she admitted.

_Of course._

There was a limit to how much she could surprise him, it seemed.

She wasn't as impossible as she seemed.

"Rin is correct. I did cloak the room to conceal your presence from the other inhabitants of the castle, which is why you being out and wandering the halls defeats the purpose of my doing that."

"Sorry. It was getting boring in that room. If I'd had a book to read or something, or a few tubes of paint and a paintbrush, I could've entertained myself until you decided to come for me."

Reading and painting.

So the human liked those types of activities, did she?

Oddly, learning this was not particularly surprising to Sesshoumaru, somehow. She seemed the type of person to appreciate such things, with her complex words and talk of astrology. Her intellect was remarkably . . .  _remarkable_ , for a trivial human female. That much he would admit.

But he was ignoring the real problem here. The fact that she had left the safety of the cloaked room and wandered out into the castle, where anyone might see her and make incorrect assumptions. Frankly, it was a  _miracle_  that no one had yet seen her. Or perhaps they had, and were retreating to the imperial court and war council this very moment? Perhaps the word had already spread?

No. If that were the case, they would've taken the human and dragged her as evidence of the crime.

False accusations were not taken lightly in the House of the West. Especially ones that involved the great Lord  _Sesshoumaru_  bedding a painfully plain,  _human_  girl.

The speaker of the accusation would be held a laughing stock if not presented proof to support his claim.

"Come, human." he said, "I shall take you to the warlock."

Her eyes dazzled with an odd sort of excitement.

"Lead the way."

.

.

Octavia stood in the center of the warlock, Cyril's private quarters, and held her breath awkwardly as he circled her slowly.

He looked far more frightening than Sesshoumaru had when she'd first laid eyes on him, except the only difference here was that Cyril was not frighteningly  _beautiful_  like the Taiyoukai was.

Cyril was more . . . creature-like than human when it came to appearances, and he definitely fit the description of what one would categorise as a demon.

He had the body of what looked to be some species of reptile, green-scaled flesh and sharp yellow eyes. His body was clothed with royal haoris and pants, and he wore a long navy cloak that trailed behind him on the floor as he walked. A large tail poked out from under the cloak, long and slithering across the marble ground, and Octavia found her eyes fixed on its fluid movements. As he circled her, eyes studying her from head to toe, his long forked tongue darted out every now and then to moisturise his eyes, since he had no eyelids to do so. The cycle was hypnotising, and Octavia's gaze was stationary on the odd creature he was.

"She is an interesting little thing, this one." he spoke to Sesshoumaru in Japanese, who was standing by the bookcase at the edge of the room, "Where did you say you found her, my lord?"

"On the outskirts of my hanyou brother's village," Sesshoumaru replied, "She was wandering and claimed to have lost her way."

Cyril strode closer to Octavia and leaned right into her face. His eyes were immensely sharp and narrow, and his tongue continued to flick out and lap at them.

He stared at her for a while, expression somewhat perplexed, from what she could make out at least, and he eventually stepped back.

"Spiritual  _and_  demonic energy," he observed, "Just as you said, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"What do you make of her?"

"She is quite human, as you said also — plain and ordinary. I sense no evil aura emitting from her, and she does not strike me as an enemy spy . . . But her magic. It is curious. Oh, so curious."

"What's curious about it?" Octavia asked suddenly in Japanese, surprising Cyril and displeasing Sesshoumaru.

"You speak without permission," Cyril stated, but not cruelly.

Like he was surprised at her action, like he hadn't expected her to speak without being asked to.

He was wrong to think like that.

"You said that it's curious," she continued, "Why? Because possessing both dark and light energy is impossible?"

". . . You are intelligent, I see. Even more interesting."

"You assumed I was stupid?"

"Not assumed, merely  _expected_  you to be so, like many of the other human women in these lands."

"Well you expected wrong." she shot back neutrally, "Don't be so quick to judge someone just by what they look like. You're a massive lizard for one."

His eyes flickered and she felt the weight of Sesshoumaru's glare from across the room.

"Indeed . . ." Cyril whispered.

Her mouth tightened and she stood her ground, eyes not defiant, but not at all passive.

Cyril regarded her with a subtle sort of  _delight_  before turning his head to face Sesshoumaru.

"I see this is why you brought her to me in secret," he said with a slight grin, "She has quite a mouth on her for someone of her social status and gender."

"My social class and gender have nothing to do with this," she cut in, "Sesshoumaru said you might be able to help me. Can you?"

"That depends on what you need help  _with_."

She held out her hand palm-up and gave him an intense look.

"Please . . ." she said quietly, but with resolve, "Help me get it under control. I don't want to hurt anyone."

The warlock glanced at her hand several times between studying her eyes, before taking it in his own and running his large claws along the lines on her palm.

Sesshoumaru watched from where he stood, a wave of irritation coming from him because of her pushy nerve, but she ignored him.

Cyril closed his scaly hands over hers and let his eyes roll back into his head.

Feeling the youki he was releasing, she latched onto it and pulled the dark energy into her, and felt her body jolt at the sensation. Her chest burned and her hand felt like it was on fire, and she parted her lips to gasp in slight pain, and Cyril pulled away quickly. He stared at her, holding his hands to his breast, and flashed his fangs.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at the spectacle, and Octavia stared over at the new scorch mark she had inflicted upon Cyril's left wrist.

"I'm sorry . . ." she breathed, eyes filled with regret, "I didn't mean–"

"So  _very_  interesting," he cut her apology short, "Incredible . . . Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru gave Cyril his attention and shared a secret look with the lizard youkai.

"Bring her to me tomorrow, after you have announced her presence to the court here in the castle . . . I wish to work with her."

Octavia's eyes widened and she let out a surprised exhale of joy.

"So you can help me?" she asked, eyes glittering in the decreasing light of the room.

". . . I am willing to try," he replied, and a huge smile broke out across her face.

Her smile seemed to catch Cyril off guard, because when she directed it at him, his scales darkened and his eyes went wide with shock.

Like an alien flush.

She maintained the grateful smile and walked closer to him, then leaning in and planting a kiss on his textured cheek. That gesture surprised him even more, and his mouth even fell open just a tiny bit as she pulled away.

"Thank you," she said, "Seriously. I really appreciate this. Thanks so much."

He averted his gaze down to the floor momentarily and grunted in response.

"Anything for Sesshoumaru-sama . . .  _Octavia-san_."

Her cheeks went pink with pride and she flashed a toothy smile, before bowing her head in farewell and following Sesshoumaru out of the room.

Closing the door behind them, she let him lead her back to the room he had cloaked for her safety. When they arrived, Sesshoumaru went no further than a couple of feet before the door and waited for her to go in. She turned to look at him, eyes glittering and satisfied with her accomplishment, yet he stared at her with that same blank expression he always wore.

"He said he'd help me," she said cheerfully.

"I am aware. I was there attending."

"And aren't you even a little impressed by the way I handled things?"

His expression remained the same, only with a hint of annoyance brewing.

"You simply behaved like your usual difficult self, only this time you were lucky to win Cyril's approval."

"Lucky, huh?"

She stared up at him with a knowing smirk before slowly reaching for the door handle. As he turned and began walking away, she spoke again.

"You weren't impressed at  _all_?"

He stopped walking but didn't turn back to face her.

He was silent for a moment, his fur pelt covering the back of his head from view, before he finally gave a clipped answer.

"What reason would I have to be impressed, human?"

"Oh, you know. My behaviour. The way I spoke to him. Just things like that."

He was silent again, almost as if he was planning a careful response. Perhaps that was what he actually  _did_ , she wondered then, and maybe that was why his speech was always so flawless and extravagant.

"I am rarely impressed by things of such nature," he said finally, still not turning to look at her, "You should know that before you go expecting futile praise from me."

And then he started walking again and disappeared around the corner from sight. Octavia stood for a while outside her door with her hand on the handle, listening to the sound of his vanishing footsteps, before she finally opened the door and stepped inside.

She closed the door behind her and went out onto to the balcony.


	11. Exposed

It was early when Octavia awoke in that bed with the silk sheets. The sun was only just rising, pink and orange rays lightly pouring in through the open balcony doors, and the breeze had caught the curtains and was making them dance around the posts. They danced around the four-poster bed and ghosted across her resting form, and trailed across her cheek probingly. As nice as the scenery and sensations were, there was only one thought on her mind . . .

Where were the toilets in this place?

She sat up on the bed, pushing the blowing bed curtains aside, and rubbed her groggy eyes. The pressure on her bladder was heavy so she hopped out of the bed and trotted over to the door. Once outside, she jogged down the still dim corridor, searching for a bathroom of some kind.

She eventually found one and relieved herself. When she stepped out again and into the corridor, eyelids closed in relief and relaxation . . . something grabbed her by the shoulders harshly.

Her startled cry was muffled by a large hand, and she opened her eyes to find herself pushed against the wall by a large,  _raccoon_ -like creature. Her eyes were huge as the youkai stared at her, its dark eyes beady and studying her closely, and its giant paw closed tighter over her mouth to muffle her sounds of protest. After a while of staring and sniffing, it tightened its grip on her and hauled her off down the hallway, kicking and screaming against its paw. She struggled in its grasp and bared her teeth against its padded palm, dragging them against it like she was some kind of animal herself, and she jolted back into the hard wall of the creature's chest.

Eventually, the youkai tired of her struggling, and knocked its paw against her head. Hard.

The force of the blow sent her head falling forward and her vision blurring, and she eventually began to lose consciousness, allowing the giant raccoon to drag her along easily. Her final thought before she completely lost consciousness, was . . .

 _Sesshoumaru is going to full-on_ murder _me._

If this raccoon youkai didn't get to it first, that was.

.

.

As Octavia slowly began to regain consciousness, she woke up to discover she was still being pulled along by assuredly that same youkai, only now she had a thick brown sack over her head, completely obscuring her vision.

She could feel the bindings of a strong cloth tied around her wrists, and she struggled to move her hands at all. She was tugged along roughly, turning corner after corner, being led to  _god knows_  where, before the creature dragging her eventually came to a halt.

Blinking in the dark of the sack, Octavia chewed the inside of her cheek and frowned, beads of sweat beginning to build on her neck and cheeks. She was about to say something before the sound of a door opening struck through the silence, and the youkai pulled her along behind him again. He took her a few meters forward before coming to a stop yet again, and this time he pulled the brown sack from her head, and the light blinded her temporarily.

She was in a huge room of elegant design, crisp white walls and a ceiling painted with monsters and angels at war.

There were stocks against the walls in the room, filled with various kinds of terrible beasts, each which regarded Octavia as if  _she_  were the repulsive one in the room.

She stood at the center of the room, wrists bound and in a sleeping gown, with a hundred eyes on her like hawks.

She swallowed.

"Well, well. What  _do_  we have here?"

Octavia looked up towards the altar at the end of the room where three extravagant iron thrones sat.

A man was sitting on one of them, or he at least  _looked_  like a man.

He had long navy hair tied up with a silver ribbon, and at least four layers of expensive kimonos draped over his body, each patterned in stormy shades of blue and black. His face and hands were the only pieces of flesh exposed and nearly every inch of his skin was covered with pale brown markings and strange tattoos.

His skin was honey-tanned and his eyes were a deep chestnut brown, cold and lacking in any glimmer of warmth — neither pleasant nor malicious like Sesshoumaru's piercing tawny ones.

Though he looked more man than demon, his ears were what gave his species away and made him look slightly elven and supernatural. He had sharply pointed ears and long triangular claws, and Octavia could make out the silhouette of sharp canines in his mouth. And then, when he rose to his feet and revealed his powerful structure . . . the  _wings_  extending from his back fanned out and stretched to their complete wingspan.

Dark and smooth, with sharp points facing skyward, they closely resembled bat wings.

He stared at her, strong wings shifting and eyes flickering up and down her form.

Octavia maintained her posture underneath his heavy gaze and pushed back at the intense wave of youki he directed at her. When she failed to succumb to his pouring strength, he lowered his wings slightly and arched a dark brow upward.

"Fascinating . . ." he observed, "So Sesshoumaru-sama's plaything is more than what first meets the eye."

She suppressed a shocked gasp.

 _Plaything_?

She'd known if not properly explained, assumptions like that would be drawn, but having it actually happen . . . She felt her blood boil.

"I found her sneaking around in the west wing of the castle," the raccoon youkai who'd taken her spoke up, "She didn't see me coming and put up quite a struggle once I took hold of her."

"It hardly surprises me that Sesshoumaru-sama would be drawn to such spitfire." the bat youkai said lowly, and Octavia didn't even try to mask her frown then.

Stepping away from the raccoon's grasp, she glared up at the bat and pursed her lips.

"I am not a concubine." she spat.

His brows quirked as the demons in the stocks began to murmur amongst themselves, apparently shocked over her audacity to speak without permission.

"No?" he said, "Considering the fact that you are here without our knowledge, and were found close to the Lord's wing . . . Your argument is weak compared to the obvious facts."

Her eyes blazed.

"Do you not  _know_  your King?" she asked harshly, "Surely you know how much he hates humankind. So why, with that established, would he in any circumstances,  _ever_. . . indulge in a sexual relationship with one?"

More whispers from the court, and the raccoon youkai gripped her by the shoulder tight, claws digging in through the cloth, and she held in her wince.

The bat youkai stared at her though, eyes dark and unreadable. As he stared at her, she held her defiant demeanour and pushed her own aura out like a barrier, stretching it so that it reached him where he stood. When it hit him, he jolted ever so slightly with brief shock, but recovered instantly so that it was nearly impossible to tell something had affected him. His dark eyes scanned her again, feeling the contrasting dark and light energy she was emitting, and eventually, his jaw settled into a hard line and he forced  _his_  youki back onto her.

After several minutes of this, he finally pulled back and strode down the alter steps until he came just before her, and stared down from his towering brood above her.

She stared back, the green in her eyes gleaming in vivid contrast to her skin, and the bat youkai gazed deep into the raging depths of them. At one point, it felt like he was staring deep, deep into her very being, almost as if her eyes were more than just windows to the soul — as if they were the  _doors_.

He walked right in and  _saw_.

"The Shikon no tama," he said finally, "I sense it within you, though that cannot be, for it was destroyed not so long ago by Sesshoumaru-sama and his hanyou brother."

The court gasped quietly at the statement.

"What do you mean:  _The Shikon no tama_ , Kanetsugu?" a voice from the altar called.

Octavia gazed past the bat youkai known as  _Kanetsugu_  and saw a female demon sat on one of the thrones.

She had long glossy raven hair, styled with jasmine flowers and cherry blossoms and an abundance of glittery golden combs. Like Kanetsugu's, she had tattooed runes snaking across her visible skin and a pair of dark bat wings stretching out from her back and resting against the chair.

Kanetsugu stared at her severely.

"I mean exactly what I claim, Kannika-imouto." he replied, "I sense Shikon energy within this futile human wench."

 _Kannika_  tossed a bundle of dark hair over her shoulder and elegantly rose to her feet, her dark purple kimono trailing behind her as she walked down the throne steps towards Kanetsugu and Octavia. She stopped at his side and studied the human with her chocolate brown eyes, and at this close proximity that allowed her to study their physical resemblances, Octavia wondered briefly if they were related by blood.

"You," Kannika addressed her directly, "Who are you, and what is your purpose for being here?"

"My name is Octavia. I come from a faraway land to seek the help of Sesshoumaru's powerful warlock. You noticed my . . . Shikon link, and I require help."

Trying to keep her words as proper and sophisticated as she could, she realised then that she'd made a fatal error by referring to Sesshoumaru without adding the necessary honorific of  _sama_ , as now more assumptions could be drawn about the familiarity of her using his name so intimately.

 _They should know I'm not Japanese in origin because of the way I look_ , she thought after having that slight panic.  _Surely they'll realise that and understand my slip up. Surely._

Luckily for her, Kanetsugu did.

"I wondered if you were from another land," he stated, "Because of your complexion and colouring. Now your words and distinguishable accent prove it."

The anxiety eased from her chest.

". . . However, that does not change the fact that you were discovered in Sesshoumaru-sama's wing without your presence being known to any, in nothing but simply night attire."

"I'm  _not_  a concubine!" she repeated, this time more firmly than the first, and the looks on Kanetsugu and Kannika's faces made her regret it immediately.

The court passed hushed whispers to one another again and the raccoon youkai regarded her with repulsion for her outward behaviour.

 _Bunch of arrogant sods, the lot of them,_ she thought with an inward scowl.

"Brother," Kannika hissed, confirming Octavia's assumption, "Are you going to let a puny human  _bitch_  get away with talking to you like that?"

Kanetsugu's eyes darkened, and the tattoo snaking around his right eye glowed a faint black.

"We should eliminate the problem right here and save the Imperial Court of the West a curtain of shame befalling us," he said gravely, and Octavia panicked, "Whatever Sesshoumaru-sama's reasoning for bringing this wench into the castle can surely be overlooked. He will be thanking us for saving him from the dishonour his father experienced."

"You really don't want to do that," Octavia protested.

"Oh, but we do," Kannika smiled sickeningly sweetly.

"No, seriously . . . You  _don't_."

"And why not, human?" Kanetsugu practically sighed, his dark eyes raking up and down her ever so petite form in contrast to him.

Octavia stared at him, her own eyes sizzling with a quiet energy, and she stood up straight. Her stance and the burning in her eyes (which he couldn't seem to look away from) made him go tense.

". . . Because I'll fry you all to cinders." she presaged in English, to avoid the threat being taken seriously or even  _understood_  by the listeners.

Kannika's perfect brows furrowed and she glanced at her brother in confusion, whilst he held a similar expression.

Octavia could only smile wilfully.

"I'm serious," she said, amused because they hadn't even understood her threat in the first place, "Don't doubt that."

"Serious about what?" the demoness demanded, "What did she say?"

"I guess you'll never know."

Kanetsugu's eyes darkened.

"It matters not," he said, "Now . . . Time to die, impudent wench."

He raised his hand and his long talons began to grow, but as he did, Octavia began to grasp his growing energy with her magic and hold onto it, starting to pull before an  _interruption_  occurred.

The doors flew open and a powerful wind shot through the halls, extinguishing all the candles and silencing every whisper from the demons in the stocks.

Kannika squealed over her partially ruined hair and Kanetsugu gazed over at the open doors. Octavia turned as well and saw a dark figure emerging from outside the room and striding in with rage in each step . . . and she didn't need the morning light to fall across his features for her to guess who it was.

Sesshoumaru stormed into the court, hair flying behind him like a cape and eyes blazing with heated  _anger_. But not anger at the ones in the room, or the raccoon youkai who had captured her . . .

Anger. At  _her_.

The stripes on his cheeks were dark and jagged as he strode closer, the giant cream pelt billowing behind him and the royal red on his haori like a screaming warning sign as he came closer. He wasn't wearing his spikes or armour in this particular moment, but he had never looked more dangerous.

He walked to the center of the room until he was just a foot away from where Octavia was stood with her hands tied, and  _glared_  at her.

She felt her cheeks flushing with humiliation and pulled her gaze away from his utterly furious ambers.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Kanetsugu addressed him, though his murderous eyes remained fixed on Octavia, "We found this human near your personal quarters of the castle. Would you care to enlighten us to what she was doing there?"

Directing his blood-thirsty gaze on her for a few seconds more, he finally pulled them away from Octavia and let them fall on the bat youkai.

"First I wish to know what it is you are insinuating." he glowered.

"I am insinuating nothing, my lord."

"Do not lie to me, Kanetsugu."

"I dare not defy you,  _Oushou_. I simply wish to hear your explanation for the human's presence here in the castle."

Sesshoumaru's eyes hummed with silent infuriation.

Octavia felt her palms sweating because of the look of sheer malice painting his features.

"The human is here under strict relation to a growing problem." he explained, "She is necessary for felling a new dilemma, however, her abilities are unpractised and unimpressive, therefore she requires the assistance of Cyril's knowledge and teaching. That is the simple truth."

"If that is the case, then why hide her being here?"

"I did not hide the human. It was my intention to bring her to attention today and express the direness of the situation. You simply discovered her before I could do so."

Kanetsugu's eyes flickered and he and Sesshoumaru shared a long, intense look.

Octavia's eyes flicked between the two, hiding her own irritation at the Taiyoukai's failure to refer to her as if she was an actual  _person_.

 _He really is an impossibly snobby and haughty arsehole_.

After a moment of staring, Kanetsugu seemed to back off. He bowed his head in respect to Sesshoumaru and stepped back.

"Forgive my behaviour, my lord," he apologised, "I was merely concerned and disgusted by the fact that a weasel of a human had found its way into our sacred walls and possibly bewitched you . . . I was worried that you may have fallen prey to the same trickery as your father."

Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened with even more hatred, and his jaw hardened.

"I am  _not_  my father." he said quietly, and Octavia almost shivered at his eerie tone.

"I am aware. You are wholly, and truly, the master of ultimate conquest, the King of ages, and the most powerful demon to sit on the throne in generations. You have long surpassed your father in strength. Exterminating Naraku proved that."

The court was silent with their whispers now ceased, and all their pairs of eyes (no matter what the number) were trained on their Lord and master.

"But what is this new dilemma you speak of, Sesshoumaru-dono?" Kannika asked.

"I shall explain such matters later in the war room, but as for this moment, let us release the human from her capture."

"Of course."

Kanetsugu walked closer to Octavia and unfastened her restraints, taking the opportunity to give her a good study up close, and she creased her brow at his curious expression.

Her aura flared defensively in such close proximity, and the bat youkai couldn't suppress the fascinated smirk that tugged at his lips.

"So very fascinating . . ." he remarked, before stepping back, and Octavia took one huge step away from  _him_.

As she did, Sesshoumaru planted a hand on her shoulder and dug his fingers into the flesh there, and she had to bite down on her tongue to muffle her groan of pain. His claws pricked the skin of her shoulder and pierced just enough to draw the smallest amounts of blood, and his jaw was still set in that hard position.

"I shall take care of the human," he said, pressing down with his claws harder, "I shall return her to her temporary quarters. In the meantime, resume whatever it was you were doing before you stumbled upon this foolish misunderstanding. Do not  _ever_  dare to bring something so ridiculous and scandalous to light again. Do you understand?"

Octavia could have sworn that she saw Kannika shiver a little at that, and the two bat siblings nodded sincerely.

"You have our sincerest apologies, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kanetsugu bowed, "Such an event will never occur again. You have my fealty and my word."

With a nod, Sesshoumaru pushed Octavia by his grip on her shoulder and escorted her out of the room. They walked through the hallways in silence, Sesshoumaru's youki withdrawn but still detectable because of the seeping rage. Eventually, he let go of Octavia's shoulder, and she fell back to walk behind him, touching the pinpricks on her shoulder and wincing in pain as spots of blood slowly flowed out of the tiny holes.

Despite how angry he apparently was with her, words could not begin to describe how angry she was with  _him_.

For someone who preferred not to get angry over silly things, Octavia was close to seething.

He'd hidden her from the entire castle folk, not even attempted to inquire if she was alright after being kidnapped,  _humiliated_  her in front of a crowd of royal demons, and now . . . He had the  _audacity_  to treat her like she was some disobedient little pet that had left the boundaries of its cage?

Who did he think he  _was_?

He may have been the eldest son of the great Inu no Taisho, Prince of the Moon County, and King of the West . . . but he had absolutely no right to dehumanise an actual living and breathing  _human_.

When they arrived outside her cloaked quarters and Sesshoumaru failed to turn around and face her, she spoke up.

"Hey."

He ignored her.

" _Hey_ ," she said again, harder and in English, "I'm talking to you, Sesshoumaru."

"And I have no intention to talk with  _you_ , human."

She glared at his back and spiked her aura, stretching it out so that it poked the ends of his shoulder blades beneath his clothes, and made his levels of irritation rise.

Turning to glance at her from over his shoulder, he apparently hadn't expected the sour look of deep loathing she gave him.

"You embarrassed me back there," she frowned, "You made me look like a worthless chess piece in this game of beating your opponent."

"That is because that is exactly what you are."

She shook her head. "You're conceited. And contemptuous, and condescending, and every other word in the dictionary that means completely and only self-righteous!"

"And your point being . . . ?"

She shook her head again and sighed.

"You claim to be noble, and both physically and metaphorically victorious in all things . . . But honestly . . . You don't stand a chance at being any of those things."

He turned fully, furious at her words and exceedingly shocked at her stupidity and brazen bravery, and she pursed her lips.

"You have all those people in that throne room that look up to you," she went on, "Everyone in this castle, and even the people outside too. You have allies, admirers,  _Rin_. . . But  _I_  just don't see what it is they see in you that's  _worth_  admiring."

His eyes bled with red and he curled his lip up in a faint snarl, but that didn't stop her, even though it probably should.

"I'm not going to pretend I know you," she said, "I won't do that, but I do know that you have your secrets and your problems, and you just won't stop running from them."

_You can't run, Sesshoumaru. Not from the people you're trying so hard to be something for._

"And if you keep running, eventually one day they'll wake up and see, and they  _won't_  respect and admire you anymore. They won't pledge loyalty to you. They'll see that you're not the great leader they thought you were, that you're not that wonderful something they looked up to . . . They won't love you."

_You can't run._

"I meant what I said before. You're a coward, Sesshoumaru. A bloody big  _coward_. And they'll see that if you don't come face to face with your problems soon."

_Not from that._

" _You_  do not lecture  _me_ , infuriating little wench." he hissed, "You know nothing.  _Nothing_  about the inner workings of I."

"Because, let me guess . . . I'm a  _human_."

"Precisely."

"And that's exactly what I'm talking about."

His brow furrowed with slight puzzlement and his frown deepened.

Octavia retained her own frown.

"I might be just a worthless human who knows nothing about the way you tick . . ." she said, "But I can spot a coward when I see one, and that's what you are, Sesshoumaru. A coward."

Then she turned the handle of the door to her room and stepped inside, closing it behind her and leaving Sesshoumaru alone in her dust with the weight of her words floating in the air between them. She stayed in there for the remainder of the day and didn't see or hear from him whatsoever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word dictionary for this chapter:
> 
> • Kanetsugu - Bell chime, successor, heir.  
> • Kannika - Jasmine blossom.  
> • imouto - sister.  
> • Oushou - King, leader, ruler.  
> • dono - Lord.


	12. Charcoal hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since the last update, I was focusing on one of my other multi-chaptered fics and I had an exam/assignments to hand in, so I've had this chapter in the works for a while now, and I'm really glad to be finally publishing it.
> 
> Thank you so much for the feedback and I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the read, and I hope you enjoy this new installment to the story! Don't forget to leave a comment with your thoughts once you've finished reading because I always like to hear what you have to say. Enjoy! :D

Pale shadows bathed the blossoms in the trees of the castle garden and stroked the closed flower buds tentatively, like the gentle caress of a lover.

Dawn just around the corner, Sesshoumaru walked through the still murky grassy path beneath the plum blossom trees and let the shadows ghost his features with their probing fingers. His hair swung at his back like a cape of white silk—vivid silver in bright contrast with the early dark—and the gold of his eyes glowed eerily like the eyes of a snake. A low hiss was emitting from the back of his throat too. He walked along the garden path to a section of shrubbery that faced the castle, and stopped beside an elaborate set of millponds. The Koi swum beneath the water's surface and dazzled with violent flashes of orange and cobalt, the flickers of light dancing across the water and hitting Sesshoumaru's face as he watched them.

The human had called him a coward.

After everything he had done for her . . . Every perfectly rational impulse he'd had to slit her freckled throat like a dot-to-dot puzzle that he'd resisted . . . She had the  _audacity_  to go ahead and accuse him of the greatest insult imaginable.

 _Coward_.

The word sliced through him like a burning knife, sizzling his flesh and taunting his brain.

 _You're a coward._   _That's what you are._

He tightened his lips to repress a snarl. No worthless creature, especially a  _human_  scum, ever got away with saying something like that.

 _Ever_.

He should've slaughtered her on the spot. Her mere presence was causing enough hassle for him, the last thing he needed was her infuriating resilience. If he just killed her now . . . he'd be saved from a lifetime of trouble. And headaches.

Yet still.

He had not. And he didn't know why.

She'd thought it was sad when the flowers had died, back when they'd wilted to dust at her feet.

She'd picked up the disintegrating petals and held the ashes in her hands, and said it was sad. To see them grow, and then fall away and die.

_Nothing lasts an eternity._

Except for when one is immortal.

But  _that's kind of sad_. That the flower had to die. It was sad. Because for one moment in the light, it was beautiful. And then in the next with the dark . . . it was nothing.

Life and Death.

Light and Darkness.

A flower bud detached itself from the tree above him then, and came floating down on the breeze to settle into Sesshoumaru's open palm. He stared at the blossom, green petalled and pretty—not  _beautiful_ , but pretty—and studied the plain elegance of its aesthetic. Then he crushed it in his fist and let the broken pieces fall to the crumpled grass below.

_Nothing lasts an eternity._

Especially not a snickering human girl, overjoyed with her ability to make flowers and shrubs grow and blossom around her, but then feel sad when they inevitably died. And all Sesshoumaru could do was watch as the conflicting emotions flickered away in her lime-speckled eyes . . . and wonder.

He hated mysteries.

The sun began to ascend from behind the castle then, and streams of morning light poured out through the gaps in the buildings and spires, and out onto the gardens. A wave of pale yellow sunshine hit Sesshoumaru and basked his face with warmth, and his jaw hardened at the flaring of distinguishable aura he felt emerging from one of the castle balconies.

The human wandered out onto the balcony outside her room and stopped at the banister.

With her room facing the sea, the sunrise was on the opposite side of the castle to where she was, so she leaned over the banister and craned her head to try to get a look at the landscape.

Sesshoumaru almost snorted bitterly. Assumedly having just woken up, she looked appalling. He couldn't see her completely from the distance, but he could still pick out her ruffled hair that hung in knotty waves at her shoulders, and her sleep-bruised cheeks that were flushed pink from the position she'd been laid in. She rubbed one eye with the back of her hand and yawned — an action that was oddly cat-like, and then leaned forward over the balcony banister to rest.

The sunlight crept around the corner of the building and cast a curtain of light over one half of her face, and even with the distance, Sesshoumaru could pick out traces of a sly smile on her lips.

Her puffy green eyes were glittering with giddiness in the modest morning light, and he once again found himself studying the unusual handsomeness of them, before sharpening his frown and producing a tight grimace.

She thought there was something captivating about the way cicadas clung to the front of trees in the night.

Something about singing their secrets to passerbys and night-time wanderers.

She thought it was  _mysterious_ , and perhaps that was the one thing about her that he actually  _did_  understand. So perhaps he didn't have to necessarily  _like_  her . . . for her to be in his eyes, what a cicada in the moonlight was to her.

.

.

Octavia breathed in the salty sea air and pushed some thick clumps of hair behind her ears. Because of the positioning of the castle and the fact that they were on the west coast, the sun rose from behind the towering structure in the east and case shadows from the huge roofs and spires. She craned her neck to feel a little bit of warm sunlight on her cheeks and found that her anger from last night had somewhat subdued because of the morning scenery.

Glancing down into the still shadowy gardens below, something vivid and silver caught her eyes and drew her attention to a spot beneath a cluster of blossom trees.

She leaned her head and tried to figure out what it was that was flickering in the rising sunlight, and her brows rose with realisation once the initial bright flare wore down.

Sesshoumaru stood beneath the trees with shadows cast across his profile and flickers of silver in his hair glittering in the patches of light that touched them. He was partially obscured by the falling blossoms and the long distance, and if Octavia had had ultra-zoom youkai vision, she would have seen the conflicting flames waging war within his dark narrowed eyes. Instead, she settled on watching him as he moved from his spot behind the shrubbery and walked away along the path, and thought what a perfect drawing subject he would be.

Darting back inside, she dug around in the huge cabinet drawers and pulled out a pile of thin paper parchments.

There were no paints or pencils like the ones she was used to using, but there were several pots of ink and a traditional Japanese paintbrush for writing formal letters.

She laid the parchments out across the floor and got down on her knees before them, and dipped the tip of the brush into a pot of ink to begin making strong firm strokes on the paper. Those strokes formed the shape of a hard jaw and a set of high cheekbones, accompanied by a chin and then an elegantly shaped nose.

Her hair now irritating her and getting in the way, she shoved it back and twisted it into a small messy bun, shoving one of the paintbrushes in to keep it in place. Heaving a puff of breath that blew the chunk of hanging bangs out of her face, she dipped the brush into the ink again and sketched dark precise brows above the space she'd left for the eyes, which she left empty for the time being. Moving onto the hair, she flicked her wrist from the top of the picture's head down to the bottom of the paper as if it were a dark river of ink. The brush strokes didn't quite capture the smoothness of the silver mane he had, nor were the stripes on his cheeks entirely accurate, but it was the  _eyes_  that posed a real problem for her.

She stared at the empty spaces between the cheeks and eyebrows, twirling the brush between her fingers and biting her tongue.

Eyes had never been a problem for Octavia before, when sketching all the study models that posed for her classes, but there, sat on the floor of a Sengoku castle bedroom quarters in Japan, drawing  _one_  set of eyes correctly had  _never_  been more difficult.

Grabbing another sheet of parchment, she dotted the end of the brush down and drew two large ovals with sharp slits at the centers. She then made tiny ink flicks for eyelashes and added detail to the irises, but it wasn't right, so she made another attempt above the failed one and tried to make the expression a little more menacing.

Starting to get annoyed, Octavia twisted her face into a frown and tried again, then again, and again, and  _again_  . . . But no luck. They just weren't right, and no amount of heavy brush strokes or added menace in the expression was changing that.

She shoved the papers away in frustration and put the brush down in the ink pot.

She didn't know why she was getting so aggravated. Failures in her drawings had never really bothered her all that much. Sure, she'd been pretty frustrated a couple of times when she couldn't quite capture a certain aspect of what she was drawing, but she'd never been  _angry_.

Angry was what she was now.

Sesshoumaru was the epitome of male beauty that artists would attempt to capture in their work, and he rivaled the looks of Michelangelo's statue, perhaps even  _surpassed_  it. But it was  _because_  he was so beautiful, that made capturing the right aesthetic was so  _difficult_. It wasn't like drawing herself, where mistakes didn't matter or if a certain part of her face was uneven, because her own face was far from anything as extraordinary, and the mistakes just made her portrait look more realistic and understandably flawed.

Sesshoumaru had an essence that was, quite simply,  _too_  beautiful to capture.

Heaving a sigh, Octavia put down the paintbrush by the pot of ink and slumped forward, shoving her hands into her hair and breathing out a puff of irritation. It was when she did that, that a strong pulse of  _energy_  came from beneath the bed. Lifting her head, she frowned slightly and crawled over to the bed on her hands and knees.

She stared into the dimness beneath the furniture, before reaching in and probing around for the mystic blade Nidawi had bestowed upon her in the forest, which she'd hidden there.

Fingers connecting with the blade's gem-encrusted handle, she pulled it out and sat up, cradling the knife in her palms.

The Blade of Four Reikon.

She held it and felt the power surging from it, the blade glowing faintly with a light puce hue, and remembered Nidawi's words about the blade's power.

 _It cannot inflict physical wounds._   _The blade is not able to cut flesh and bone, but it can cut something else._

 _Souls_.

Octavia bit the inside of her cheek and pondered for a moment, before gripping the knife and forcefully slicing the sharp edge of the blade across the inside of her hand. The blade drew a deep line across her palm where it cut, but no blood flowed from the slit, and before she could properly inspect the self-inflicted wound, the flesh closed over and  _healed_  instantly.

Eyes shooting wide, Octavia breathed in disbelief and stared at her completely unblemished hand. She whispered a breathless  _wow_ , before turning the knife over and studying the several character markings engraved into the blade.

 _'_   _魂の刃_   _'_

Having done a short study course in Japan's culture and language (for reasons she hadn't been sure of at the time), Octavia was no stranger to the foreign lettering, and she recognised that the symbols roughly translated to: ' _Blade of Souls'_ ; or, simply: ' _Soul Blade'_.

"Four Reikon . . ." she whispered upon reading, and the weapon flared with a slight flicker of purple shimmer.

 _Aramitama_ ,  _Kushimitama_ ,  _Nigimitama_  and  _Sakimitama_.

The God Stars from the story that breathed light onto the universe, created the Earth and all the other worlds around it, and birthed both humanity and youkai with their sorrowed tears.

Tapping into her own aura, Octavia pushed it outward and enveloped the blade in her hands, cloaking it in a pale glittering mist.

The energy from the blade was different to spiritual and youkai aura. This felt subtler, quiet, fresh. But there was a real power within it, a raw energy that latched onto Octavia's mind and sent waves of it flooding into her brain.

Suddenly, hundreds of minds joined to hers and she felt an abundance of  _voices_ , all belonging to what she recognised as the youkai in the castle, and she found she could hear each of their every thought.

It was like a supercomputer connected to every screen. What they saw, she saw, and what they heard,  _she_  heard.

Dropping the blade with a jump, the minds disconnected from her and she gasped loudly.

Nidawi's words came to her then, about the weapon's other power.

_It opens the minds of others and beams their thoughts into yours. Their stories, their memories, their songs._

Almost mesmerized by the knife on the floor by her knees, Octavia reached out to touch it again, before a loud bang against the door made her jump with startled shock.

"Octavia-san!~"

It was just Rin.

Breathing in relief, Octavia picked up the soul blade and stared at it for a moment, before lifting up her dress and fastening it tightly to her thigh with the leather strap on the sheath.

Once it was attached securely, she pulled her dress back down over it and smoothed the crinkles in the royal silk, before replying to Rin's call.

"You can come in, Rin." she said, "I'm awake."

The door swung open and Rin strolled in, wandering straight into a sea of screwed up parchment. Staring at them with confusion, she closed the door behind her and spotted the drawing of Sesshoumaru across the pile.

" _Ah_!" she cried joyfully, and Octavia realised too late what the source of her outburst had been.

Rin darted over to the painting and picked it up, despite Octavia's awkward protests, and sat down to examine it.

She stared at the picture with an awed grin on her face and lifted a hand to ghost her fingers across the now dried ink.

"Wow . . ." she breathed, "This is amazing! It looks just like Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Not really," Octavia argued, flustered.

"Well you didn't give him any eyes, but apart from that, it's a perfect illustration! I didn't know you were an artist, Octavia-san?"

"I'm an art major at university . . . I mean,  _yeah_ , I am. Or I try to be, at least. This picture isn't any good though."

Rin looked horrified at that.

" _WHAT_?" she cried, "What do you mean, 'isn't any good'? It's fantastic! How can you not think that too?"

Octavia shrugged with a bashful smirk.

"I'm sure Sesshoumaru-sama will think so too."

It was Octavia's turn to be horrified now.

She leaped over and snatched the painting from Rin, and clutched it close to her tightly, mechanically shaking her head at the suggestion.

" _No_ ," she said firmly, "Sesshoumaru absolutely cannot see this. He  _can't_."

"Why not?"

Octavia held the paper tighter, crinkling it in places, and bit her tongue. ". . . He just can't, alright? Promise me you won't tell him. Please."

Rin seemed confused at her reaction, but eventually nodded.

"Okay," she said, "I won't tell. But it really is great though. You should draw more, things Sesshoumaru-sama  _can_  see . . . He'd like that. He likes paintings."

That surprised Octavia.

"He does?"

Rin smiled wider, "Oh yeah. He  _loves_  paintings, landscapes especially. I haven't been in his quarters, but apparently, it's filled with art, and there's a whole room  _full_  of stuff like that in the south wing of the castle."

Her pulse quickened with excitement at that. "Really?" she asked.

"Yep. I'll show you if you want."

A smile of her own growing on her lips, Octavia nodded.

"Yeah. I  _would_  like that."

Watching as Rin clapped her hands together giddily and went back to looking through the papers patterned with ink, Octavia blinked slowly in surprise at the newfound information of Sesshoumaru's apparent love for art.

She hadn't expected that a being like him, a  _youkai_  who saw himself as so intensely superior to her, would share such a similar appreciation. Perhaps she would paint something, if she could get a hold of something better than the parchment ink in her drawers. Something like a landscape, and she'd see if he liked it. Knowing him though, he'd probably just turn his nose up at it because it was work courtesy of a human, but then maybe . . .  _maybe_. . . he wouldn't.

She didn't feel the Reikon Blade gently simmering at her thigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought! (just an FYI, I got the 'Soul Blade' translation from an English to Japanese generator site so it might not be 100% accurate)


	13. Demon Court

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since the last update, I've been on holiday and I've been focusing on several other multi-chapter fics I'm also writing. You will be pleased to know though that I managed to write a lot for this fic whilst I was away in the solitary hills of Ireland, so you shouldn't have to wait so long for new chapters now. (yaaay)
> 
> I'm not sure if I told you, but I actually created some fanart for this story.  
> Two pictures actually - one of [Octavia](http://happycookiieblog.deviantart.com/art/Octavia-Petridis-613245779), and one of [her and Sesshoumaru.](http://happycookiieblog.deviantart.com/art/Sesshoumaru-and-Octavia-613017466)  
> You can find them on my [DeviantArt](http://happycookiieblog.deviantart.com/gallery/) in the Inuyasha gallery.

Octavia stared at the reflection of the girl looking back at her through her castle bedroom mirror. Rin was standing behind her, running a brush through her hair and twisting the short chestnut locks into elaborate spirals, and adding glittering pins and combs.

She watched the motion through the three pristine mirrors on the bedside table and stared at herself. Her cheeks were dusted with a pale powder and the top of her eyelids had been painted over with a light grey, highlighting the green of her irises. There were heavy gold earrings hanging from her ears with sparkling clear gems attached, and Rin had tied a lace choker around her neck with the same gem at the front in the center.

The dress she had on was different to the ones she had seen in history books too. It dipped down to show her collarbones and was tight sleeved and puffed out at the body to trail behind her like a ballgown the women would wear in fairy tales. It was also the finest and deepest of blood  _reds_ , black at the front around her chest area, and the lacing around the back black as well. She wondered where this style had come from, with it being so different from even the most extravagant kimonos she'd seen firsthand.

Done with her hair, Rin stepped back and smiled at her through the mirror.

"I'm all finished, Octavia-san." she said, "My work isn't as good as what the maids could do, but none of them can see you until after the introductory ceremony today."

"I think it's a bit late for that now. They've all seen me in my bed clothes anyway."

"But this is different. This is a formal and political introduction to the court. Youkai rulers don't just take humans into their castles to live under their wing, it's unheard of. This is necessary to ensure you're protected."

"Sesshoumaru took  _you_  under his wing," Octavia pointed out, "Did you have to go through this process too?"

"Me? Oh no, I'm just a child. Assumptions like that wouldn't have been drawn in my case.  _Yours_  though . . ."

"I get it. I'm a woman, you're a child. I understand the implication."

Rin's smile returned, gentler this time and looking somewhat more mature than her actual young age. "But they won't think that after today, Octavia-san," she said softly, "Once they get to properly meet and see what kind of a person you are . . . They won't think that."

"What about those two youkai that challenged Sesshoumaru? Kanetsugu and Kannika?"

"Oh,  _those_  two? They won't be of any harm to you. They were just suspicious, that's all. I don't know if you know, but the previous lord of this quarter—Sesshoumaru-sama's father—he fell in love with a human."

_I was worried that you may have fallen prey to the same trickery as your father._

That was what Kanetsugu had said in the courtroom.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were only half-brothers, Inuyasha's human heritage making the fact obvious, which meant he was the bastard son of his father's human mistress.

"Inuyasha's mother?" Octavia asked.

Rin nodded, "Yes. Her name was Izayoi. She was a princess. He met her and fell in love with her, despite being bound to Sesshoumaru's mother, and essentially took her as his mistress, though she never actually came to this castle."

"What happened to her?"

". . . She died. Like every human eventually does when their time has passed," Rin said quietly, and Octavia saw through the mirror that her eyes had begun to shine with a sliver of sorrow. "But don't worry," she perked up, "She lived a long life with Inuyasha before that, and she wasn't targeted by anyone in the quarter after Sesshoumaru-sama's father fell."

"So she outlived her lover?"

"She did. The Inu no Taisho died in a fire protecting her and Inuyasha as a newborn."

Octavia looked down into her lap and rested her hands there, caressing the smooth fabric slowly.

". . . Sesshoumaru must have been very upset . . ." she whispered.

A moment of silence stretched before Rin broke the slight air of sorrow and extended a hand to Octavia. "Come on," she said, "The court is waiting. It's time to make your presence and the reason for it officially known. Walk with purpose and make an impression, Octavia-san."

Octavia nodded and swallowed, taking Rin's little hand and letting her lead her out of the bedroom chambers. She felt the strap of the Blade of Reikon attached to her thigh pressing into her flesh firmly, not hard enough to cause pain, but hard enough for her to know that it was there.

 _Make an impression_.

She tightened her rose-coloured lips and summoned a firm expression.

_Show them not all humans are pitiable, lowly weaklings._

.

.

Having parted with Rin at an open-roofed section of the castle, Octavia walked down the corridors towards the flight of stairs leading to the courtroom with Cyril, her dress trailing behind heavily and the corset tight at her waist.

"Walk properly, Octavia-san." Cyril hissed quietly, and she frowned subtly at the comment.

 _Walk with purpose_.

"What?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but your shoulders, they're slumped and lifeless, and your arms are swinging at your sides. Your steps are messy too."

"Well, how  _should_  I walk?"

He stopped and stood up straight—posture as graceful as it could be for a giant lizard that towered over her in height and weight—and laced his hands together in front of him, letting them rest above his abdomen. She mirrored the pose, straightening out her shoulders and holding her hands over her stomach, and he nodded in approval. He then sucked in a sharp intake of breath, gesturing for her to do the same. She breathed in deeply and felt the muscles contracting in her neck, causing them to ripple like waves beneath the choker, and maintained her breaths evenly.

It felt like she was trapped underwater with weights pressed to her upper body.

"This is awful," she scowled, "Is this how every Royal has to stand?"

"It is indeed. Well, more so the women. Males stand more like this;"

He held his arms by his sides and puffed out his chest, tilting his head up so he was staring at her down his scaled snout.

She couldn't help thinking that he looked somewhat like Sesshoumaru in that moment, and she snickered before continuing walking towards the staircase with him.

"Do I have to stand up straight like this all the time?"

"Only when attending formal occasions like this and parties, but it does do you well to practice and knock it into your system so that it's just an instinctive front. You need not worry when no one is around to see the way you carry yourself though."

"I've never seen Rin walk like this."

"Rin-chan is . . . a child. She is learning though. Kannika-sama's ladies love to teach her the ways of being a woman of a palace."

"Kannika was the bat demoness from before in the courtroom, correct? Kanetsugu's sister? Could you tell me more about them?"

"That is right, and I suppose I can tell you what I know. Kannika-sama and Kanetsugu-sama are  _Bat Youkai_. Their clan has been allied with the court of the West for a long time, since before myself and even Sesshoumaru-sama was born. They're vastly powerful and although their behaviours are sometimes eccentric and even borderline aggressive on occasion, they're valued members of the coalition. Their ancestors fought wars together with The Great Inu no Taisho."

"Sesshoumaru's father?" Octavia asked, remembering Rin's story of him and Inuyasha's mother.

A look of admiration and high regard befell Cyril's face as they reached the top of the stairs, and he smiled with his scale-crested mouth.

"He was a Youkai to be remembered. A born leader, and natural ruler. He was beautiful and strong, ruthless in battle, but he was kind too. He was a King who showed mercy when it was required, and in general, a very good man. It's no use just being cruel and ambitious in your reign, without managing to earn the love of your kingdom. And that's what Touga-sama had. He was loved by many."

". . . Does Sesshoumaru envy that?"

That question surprised him.

"What?" he snorted, "Sesshoumaru-sama  _is_  feared and respected by many! Just as his father was! Why should he have any reason for envy?"

"He may be feared and respected, but is he  _loved_?"

Something flickered in Cyril's electric yellow eyes, and he closed his mouth before he could speak, seemingly changing his mind about his original answer. Octavia felt like she might've stepped over a line, before he broke out into a smile and stopped on a step to bow suddenly.

She cast her gaze downwards to the foot of the stairs, where a  _man_  stood.

"Lord Koga," he greeted, and the man shook his head.

"Drop the title, Cyril," he grinned, "You know I don't like it. Makes me seem like a darn cocky bastard."

Octavia's eyebrows shot up at his language, but an amused smirk grew on her face and she found herself trying to conceal a laugh.  _Koga_  noticed her then, and his brows shot up too. He eyed her for a moment before crossing his fur-clad arms over his chest and tilting his head.

His eyes were blue and calculating, and he was staring at her with intrigue and almost as if he was . . .  _impressed_?

"Who's the lovely lady?" he asked finally, and she felt a flush creeping up her neck at the flattering adjective.

"Oh," Cyril extended a hand for her to take, "This is my apprentice, Octavia-san. She's a blossoming Mage, here in Court to assist Sesshoumaru-sama with an upcoming threat."

He nodded at the information and flashed her a grin, which that on its own surprised her, this Koga being the first youkai to actually treat her like another  _person_.

"That's what Sesshoumaru called us all here today for, right?" he asked, "To address this 'new threat'?"

"That's right. He very much appreciates you traveling all the way from your pack in the mountains to the castle, I'm sure. You must be very busy."

"Cut the crap, Cyril. Sesshoumaru doesn't give a rat's ass about whatever it is I'm busy doing. He thinks he's top dog and we're all nothing but his snotty lapdogs."

Octavia had to resist the urge to laugh again, but Cyril panicked about the verbal abuse of his King.

"Please don't let him hear you saying things like that," he begged, "You know what happens when he gets angry.

"What, you don't think I can take the royal mutt? We've just never fought because he knows I'd beat him good."

Cyril only panicked more, but Koga turned his attention back to Octavia and extended a hand out to her. Grinning widely, she walked down the remaining step and took it.

"I'm Koga," he said, kissing the back of her hand in a dashingly cliché way, "Head of the Eastern Wolf Tribe. Sesshoumaru and I battled together against Naraku, and since he knows I'm so useful, he keeps me around in his alliance circle."

"Pleasure," she beamed, and he released her hand.

"This sure is one hell of a surprise though," he grinned, offering her his arm to continue walking, "I mean. A  _human_. Here. In Demon Court. This is the first time it's happened in . . . well,  _ever_."

"The first? Rin's here too."

"The kid? 'Course she is. Wherever Sesshoumaru goes, she follows. It's kind of a ritual thing now."

"She's been following him for a long time then?"

"Oh yeah, s'been years now. She stayed in Kaede's village for a while, but obviously decided to pick back up where she left off with us youkai and follow her idolised Sesshoumaru again."

"And you've known Sesshoumaru for a long time too? Because you fought together?"

"Sure did. The two of us are  _reeeeal_  pals. Just don't tell him that because he'll deny and claim that:  _he doesn't have friends_."

She smirked at that and shook her head, glancing back to see that Cyril was still following them, his gaze laced with fret because of Koga's previous words.

"Lemme ask you somethin'," Koga said suddenly, and she glanced back at him with creased brows. His gaze was thoughtful, and he bit the inside of his cheek before speaking what he was thinking.

". . . How does Sesshoumaru stand to be around you?"

Her eyes shot wide.

" _Excuse_  me?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant how can he hang around you and not go crazy? Or  _any_  youkai for that matter really? How can he stand to be around your aura for so long?"

"What're you talking about?"

He was the one to furrow his brows then, and they were now rapidly approaching the courtroom.

Whatever he was trying to say, she hoped he said it fast.

"Your aura . . ." he muttered, "He hasn't mentioned it? It's  _intoxicating_. Drew me in right away, and I've only known ya for a couple of minutes. It's so vast and vivid, an' it feels damn  _good_. Whatever power it is you're radiatin', you're flowing with it like a river. It's  _seducing_  me. It's different to any other power I've felt before, yours is like a power source, somethin' someone could  _draw_  in if they wanted to and use it to make themselves more powerful . . . How can he be so close to you for long periods of time without bein' tempted to do that?"

Before Octavia could ask what in the  _world_  he was babbling about, they reached the doors to the courtroom, and he let go of her arm. Cyril darted in front and gave her a nod, before opening the doors and walking into the room, signaling for her to follow with Koga behind.

The words spun in her brain.

_Your aura . . . It's intoxicating._

But what did he mean by that?

She didn't have time to properly dwell on it because soon she was thrust into the heart of the castle's courtroom, and hundreds of youkai eyes were gleaming down at her from the stocks and eyeing her head to toe. She repressed a shudder and carried on after Cyril, walking as he had told her and trying not to trip over the hem of her dress, because  _that_  wouldn't be awkward.

She could feel Koga's warm pulsating youkai flaring behind her, and felt it ghost the back of her neck and her shoulders. She grinned inwardly, sensing it as a kind of flirtation-slash-comfort, and hardened her jaw.

Sesshoumaru was at the top end of the room, sitting on his throne with a bored but borderline aggressive expression, with the two youkai from before seated on either side of him. Kannika stared at Octavia's attire with a flash of hostility, but there was a hint of awe there too. Octavia didn't know why she would be impressed by her appearance when she looked the way she did, with her flawless ebony hair and delicate features, but she did. And she seemed annoyed by it too.

Not wanting to make an enemy of the bat demoness, Octavia flashed an awkward smile at the woman from where she stopped at the altar, and Kannika's eyes grew with surprise. She glanced at her brother as if trying to see if he thought Octavia was making a fool of her, but Kanetsugu's eyes were locked on her.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Cyril greeted, lowering his scaly head in a bow, "I bring you the human."

Sesshoumaru gave a slight nod and then rose from the throne, walking towards Octavia slowly. He stopped one step above her—like he wasn't tall enough already compared to her—and addressed the court.

"This human is known as  _Octavia_ ," he said in thick Japanese, voice monotonous and holding no tolerance for defiance, "Octavia of the Petridis Clan, from a land far across the sea. She possesses the same magic which was found in the ancient fallen Shikon no tama, and it is that magic which shall allow her to assist in the saving of these lands."

Several murmurs were passed around the court, some about the Jewel, and some about her enigmatic nationality, but they quietened when Sesshoumaru spoke again.

"She will be under the apprenticeship of Warlock Cyril, and she is under both mine and the House of the West's protection. Harm her, and  _you_  will be harmed in punishment."

Someone in the crowd stood up and bowed respectfully at Sesshoumaru.

"Permission to speak,  _Oushou_?"

"You may."

"Thank you. I wish to know what  _is_  it that is threatening these lands?"

Many nodded in agreement with the question, and Octavia looked at Sesshoumaru to see how he would reply.

"There is a foretelling," he alleged, "A prophecy of the destruction of this country which will come about by a great darkness. It ties into the story I am sure many of you have heard from infancy, about the Four God Stars and the creation of the Shikon no tama. It is my belief that if not combatted . . . the same evil from that tale could return and exterminate us all."

Gasps erupted from several places in the room, and even Octavia found her eyes growing wide at hearing it worded like that.

Though the latter part of his declaration had been mostly a guess, it stressed the severity of the problem and successfully caught the court's attention.

Kanetsugu stood up and addressed Sesshoumaru.

"But how does the human assist in this dilemma?" he asked, "The Shikon no tama brought nothing but decease and obliteration during its existence. Lowly youkai and petty humans were drawn to it like moths to a flame, and their selfishness inflicted great misery when the Jewel's power was misused. You spent a great length of time chasing the creature, Naraku, that planned to use its magic for his own foul desires, my lord. Why doesn't someone just kill the girl and let us be done with it?"

 _Yikes_.

Others in the crowd seemed to agree with Kanetsugu, and Octavia found herself wincing at the suggestion. Because the question was perfectly valid. The prophecy had said that Shikon Magic would bring about the destruction that had been foretold, and since  _she_  was the one who  _had_  it . . . eliminating her seemed like the most logical method to best the problem.

"No one will be killing the human," was Sesshoumaru's sharp reply, "That is out of the question, Kanetsugu."

She breathed a sigh of relief mentally.

"But why not, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"My father's trusted ally, Totosai, informed me that I should keep the girl untarnished. And recently she herself was summoned by the Forest Spirit, Nidawi, who also spoke the same message."

" _Nidawi_ -sama summoned her?" someone in the stocks whispered disbelievingly, "She has been silent for years, quietly guarding the forest without disturbance. If  _she_  has spoken it, then surely it  _must_  be true?"

"Many of us often thought that to rid the world of the Shikon no tama before had been a good idea," Sesshoumaru continued, "But it turned out that the only way to truly destroy the Jewel was for the human girl my hanyou brother travelled with to use a specific wish in order to eradicate it forever. We cannot act rashly, for if we do, it will return and chastise us for doing so."

Kanetsugu sat down then, annoyed that his request had been denied, whilst Kannika just stared down at Octavia with curious eyes.

"How do we know she will not turn on us?" someone asked who stood up, and Octavia wanted to sigh.

 _Such needless prejudice and racism between humans and youkai_ , she thought helplessly.  _They are so slow to trust one another, regardless of the situation, and it reflects on the outcome._

 _If only these demons were as willing to work with humans as Inuyasha and his companions are. If that was the case, then things would be a lot easier_.

"I won't," Octavia answered herself, shocking Cyril and Koga and several others, "I won't turn on any of you, I wouldn't even dream of it. I want to help save you. I do. I swear it on the Four Stars. You have my word."

The youkai who had asked the question seemed satisfied with her promise and nodded before taking his seat. No hateful whispers were passed at her words either, and the demons in the court seemed to regard her with that same curiosity Sesshoumaru had when he first met her.

Speaking of Sesshoumaru, she glanced up at him, expecting to see annoyance and irritation flickering in his eyes, but was surprised to find neither of the two. He seemed inquisitive too, like he couldn't for the life of him fathom her intentions, but this time there was a hint of  _approval_  as he was looking at her—though it was very well hidden—and she almost flushed with pride because of it.

He turned away and addressed his subjects once again.

"That is all for today," he said, "You are dismissed from Court."


	14. Shadows and stormclouds

Octavia was out in the castle gardens, sitting beneath an orchid tree with a canvas on her lap.

Cyril had told her that to be able to manipulate her magical energy properly, she had to meditate in the form of doing something she liked, thus why  _he_  spent most of his time reading. So after finding her some oil paints and brushes, he'd left her alone in the gardens with Rin, who was running around after a golden butterfly.

Ah-Un was asleep by the millpond near where Rin was playing, and Octavia spurted some deep green paint out onto the canvas to try to create his anatomical shape. She'd used a pencil to sketch his rough outline first, but his twin necks were increasingly difficult to shape, and she found herself constantly dipping the paintbrush in her pot of water to smooth out the stray bristles. She'd used a stippling technique to create the effect of scales on his body, and the mane covering his heads and necks was a silky smooth raven colour.

Finally finishing on his neck, she moved up to dot his nostrils, when a powerful presence flared behind her.

It was Kannika, standing by the trunk of the tree in her luscious long kimono and flowing dark hair. Octavia stared up at her, but the Bat Youkai didn't say a word. She was watching the paintbrush in Octavia's hand, admiring the picture, but when she realised she'd been discovered her face soured slightly.

"Hey," Octavia said, washing the paint off the brush and looking up at the demoness.

Kannika blinked in confusion at the relatively ordinary greeting and tilted her head when Octavia patted the spot of ground beside her for her to sit.

She did sit, surprisingly enough.

Her kimono fanned out magnificently when she sat, spiraling out around her in vivid purple creases, and Octavia noticed the flower patterns decorating the fabric at the close range. Kannika didn't look at her, just kept her dark chestnut eyes fixed on the peach-tinted talons at her fingertips. She had an assortment of silver combs in her hair, similar to the ones Octavia had been dressed with for the introduction to court, and she had long crystal earrings hanging from her pointed earlobes, dazzling red whenever the sun hit them.

"Kannika, right?" she asked, knowing she would have to start a conversation if she wanted one, "I'm Octavia. Only you already know that from yesterday so I don't know why I'm telling you again. It's just polite . . . I guess."

Kannika looked at her strangely, and she cringed at her awkward rambling.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I talk a lot of nonsense when I'm nervous."

"Indeed."

She smirked at the demoness's comment and turned the wet canvas sideways for it to dry. Kannika's eyes followed the painting and Octavia wondered what it was she wanted, since she hardly seemed talkative.

Youkai, in general, weren't known to be very sociable with humans, she'd learned.

"What is it?" she asked, deciding to be upfront if she wanted a distinct answer.

Kannika jumped slightly, apparently ashamed she'd been caught staring at the picture, and looked away. "I . . ." she said quietly, her voice smooth and beautiful like she was, ". . . I don't know."

". . . You don't know?"

She looked annoyed that she was questioning her, but still tried to explain herself.

"I don't know," she repeated, "I found myself walking over to you, but I don't have a motive. It was as if I was sucked in, I couldn't help but come. Are you practicing a kind of spell that attracts youkai?"

That hadn't been what Octavia was expecting.

"Of course not. Why?"

"I know I was drawn over here by a supernatural force. Why else would I ask?"

_Your aura._

_It's intoxicating_.

"Maybe you think I'm cute."

She laughed at the outraged but embarrassed look that appeared on Kannika's face and shook her head. Kannika was a lot more expressive with her emotions than Sesshoumaru was, and Octavia found the demoness's glowing pink cheeks and flustered scowl a refreshing change from his vacant stoic stares.

"I do not appreciate being teased," she frowned, and Octavia almost laughed again, "Especially not by a puny little hu—"

"Do Ah-Un's heads look too small to you? Or are the necks too big?"

Kannika blinked at the change in conversation and carefully studied the painting.

"They look adequate," she replied, "Did you paint this?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's amazing . . ."

Octavia felt her neck growing hot. "It's not really . . ." she muttered, "I've drawn better. The trees in the background are a bit messy and Rin kept moving so I couldn't properly paint her figure . . . I wouldn't use  _amazing_  to describe it."

"Are you  _blind_ , human? How can you not see how spectacular it is? Have you used magic to make it better?"

" _What_? No! Haven't you ever seen a human paint decent pictures before?"

Kannika's perplexed expression in response confirmed that  _no_ , she  _hadn't_  seen a human paint well before. Perhaps she didn't even know that humans  _could_  paint, and thought it was a youkai thing.

The ravine between humans and youkai certainly was a giant one.

"Do  _you_  paint?" Octavia asked, and Kannika looked down into her lap.

"No," she whispered, "But Sesshoumaru-dono's mother does."

"Sesshoumaru has a mother?"

"Obviously. What a foolish question."

"I meant she's still  _alive_? I assumed she was dead like his father."

"Oh. No, she's quite alive. She doesn't live here though. She resides in a kingdom high above the clouds, someplace north of here. She rarely visits, and Sesshoumaru-dono hardly mentions her, so I suppose it is rational that you would make that assumption."

"Why doesn't she visit? Are they not close?"

Kannika's perfect brows crinkled.

"Sesshoumaru-dono is not really close to anyone, but no, he avoids contact with his mother as often as he can. There is a coldness between mother and son with them, which is sad. She is his only remaining parent, and he should appreciate that."

She looked alarmed at what she'd just said and frantically added: "Please don't tell Sesshoumaru-dono what I just said. I didn't mean it offensively."

"Don't worry," Octavia sneered, "I've said worse. To his face as well."

Kannika seemed horrified.

"To  _Oushou_ 's face!? And he spared your life? Absurd!"

"Well, he can't kill me. He needs me to beat this new foe. He can't do that if I'm a splatter of blood or sleeping in someone's belly."

"That's abusing your position and power! It is not a good idea."

Octavia's grin didn't fade, and Kannika looked confounded.

Rin giggled from across the garden and turned to wave, and Ah-Un opened one eye to glance at the little girl, before falling back to sleep.

"You are puzzling, human . . ." she mumbled finally, and Octavia's grin softened.

"Don't call me that," she said, "It's patronising enough with Sesshoumaru and every demon in existence saying it. Just call me Octavia."

Kannika didn't seem completely happy with that, but eventually nodded reluctantly.

"All right . . .  _Octavia_. But don't tell my brother."

"I wouldn't worry about that. He hates me too much to even come near me."

"He does hate you, but that's not why he refuses to come near you. He too suffers the same magnetic pull as I, and his pride is too robust for him to be caught surrendering to it."

"Koga said something about my aura pulling him in," Octavia remembered, "That's all I've heard of it though, apart from today. Sesshoumaru never said anything about it."

"Perhaps he doesn't want to be held accountable for the same sin as his father."

"You don't  _still_  seriously think that I'm Sesshoumaru's concubine, do you?"

She bit her lip with her dazzling white fangs and eventually shook her head.

". . . No, I do not any longer. But there is a familiarity between the two of you, one I and many others cannot explain . . . It is strange."

She stared at the demoness thoughtfully for a moment, before a huge wave of dark energy crashed through the castle gardens and sent trees and hedges flying through the air.

Octavia and Kannika leaped up from the base of the tree and the paint spilled onto the grass at their feet.

Rin screamed as a rose bush came hurtling towards her and carried her away on the powerful current. Ah-Un flew skyward in pursuit of her but was hit by a log and sent crashing down to the ground. Octavia rushed to the beast's side and felt the blood flowing from its breast. Shoving a hand into the grass, she took a deep breath and sucked up the pure energy within the soil, and used it to heal the wound. Luckily, the life energy didn't burn the creature, and simply restored the injury.  _Thank goodness_.

Rin screamed again as she was thrown through the air along with all the debris, and Octavia stood up with Ah-Un to see her airborne and heading for a pointy castle spire.

"I'm going to fetch Kanetsugu-onii and Sesshoumaru-dono!" Kannika cried and flew off in search of the two.

Left alone with Ah-Un in the chaos, Octavia turned to the two-headed beast and shot it a fierce look. Understanding, one of the heads nodded and it lowered its body for her to crawl on, before leaping up into the air with her on its back.

They shot through the sky amongst the floating shrubbery and debris, avoiding all that came their way and leaped over to where Rin was falling.

"Octavia-san!" Rin shrieked, plummeting through the air and almost hitting several crates.

"I'm coming!" she yelled, forgetting to transition into Japanese—not that it mattered in the situation—and tapped Ah-Un's side with her foot.

They increased speed and were about to reach the little girl when a cherry tree came whizzing through and knocked into the dragon's side.

Octavia was thrown from its back as it fell to the ground, and shot right into Rin with the blast. She caught her beneath her arm and the two soared through the air on the air current, the wind turning Octavia's billowy dress into a type of balloon and carrying them higher up into the sky. The two of them screamed as they were carried upward, and they got so high that Octavia was able to messily land her feet on one of the spires of the castle and run along it uncontrollably. The wind blew from behind and sent her hurtling along the roof, and Rin dug her hands into her dress to desperately hang on.

Approaching a pointed tower in the roof, Octavia steeled herself and outstretched the hand that wasn't holding Rin, and grabbed the spire. The current carried her straight into it, and she and Rin held onto the tower tightly.

Rin panted heavily, hand still fisted in Octavia's corseted dress, and Octavia was also trying to recover from a potential heart attack.

"What's going on!?" Rin cried over the howling winds, and before Octavia could open her mouth to respond, a pulse of dark energy cut through the expanse.

It was heady and ridiculously powerful, and Octavia's own power latched onto the foreign youki and unintentionally pulled it in.

A wave of darkness strained in from beyond the castle walls, and inky black clouds began to roll in from the ocean. Octavia struggled to hold onto the castle spire as she craned her head to see, and as she did, a strange  _spectre_  was approaching along with the shadows and storm.

It was a ghostly silhouette of a creature, closer details obscured but horrendous beastly features visible in the black fog. As it drew nearer, Octavia could see that it possessed a long hideous snout—similar to that of a crocodile—sharp jaws, and teeth sticking out over its fat lips. Its eyes were like two sunken pits of emptiness. Its hands and feet were webbed and coated with steel, and it also had a long spiked tail that trailed behind like a cape as it hovered menacingly in the sky.

Rin whimpered in fear and Octavia felt her vision beginning to blur, the effects of the vigorous evil youki wearing on her. The beast stared at her with those two blank sockets where its eyes should be, and opened its mouth to release a blood-curdling screech. The noise grated on Octavia and felt as if it were dragging something out from deep inside of her, and the longer it sounded, the worse the pain became. The wind had finally died down but the awful probing sensation was still there, and she sunk to her knees on the roof with Rin panicking beside her.

The crocodile-like youkai produced an expression that looked akin to that of a grimace, then closed its dreadful mouth, seemingly having had its fill of . . . whatever it had just feasted upon.

Octavia wobbled against the tower's spire and felt a chill deep in her bones, and Rin's calls to her seemed distant and cold. Her ears were ringing and her head was pounding with a high-pitched scraping noise. Her stomach felt emptied and her gut felt torn, and her veins felt like they were carrying fire.

"Octavia-san!" Rin's calling cut through the haze, and she squinted up at the girl through foggy vision.

Finished with its screeching, the creature in the air before them let out a shrill rumble of laughter, almost like harsh thunder, and Octavia felt her heart pounding.

The laughter was cut short abruptly, and a colossal  _whip_  constructed entirely of a glowing green light came and tore through the crocodile's stomach. The mystical weapon retracted back to where it had come from, and Octavia saw then that it had extended from  _Sesshoumaru's_  pointer finger.

He hovered high in the air several feet away from the monster, long green weapon coiling around him like a snake, and his eyes glowed with malice.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cried with joy, and Octavia couldn't help but sigh with relief.

Sesshoumaru watched the not-yet-dead crocodile creature turn and face him, and produce another revolting  _screech!_  which penetrated Octavia's eardrums once more. Sesshoumaru didn't seem phased initially, but something began to take effect when the beast leaped forward rather suddenly, and Sesshoumaru's light whip wasn't enough to stop it.

It dove forward and sunk its iron teeth into Sesshoumaru's arm, and started to suck away like a leech. Sesshoumaru snarled at this and clawed it away, but he was unaware that the damage was already done. The being laughed mechanically again, sending painful soundwaves that battered Octavia, and vanished into the blackened skies above.

 **"** _GO TO THE CITY OF CRYSTAL TEARS_ , **"**  a voice boomed from the clouds,  **"** _GO THERE IF YOU WISH TO RECLAIM WHAT YOU HAVE LOST . . . MY MASTER WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU_. **"**

Sesshoumaru snarled viciously and his eyes began to bleed a dark red before they ceased instantly and returned fully white. He staggered momentarily on his personal cloud, then finally fell to the earth below.

Octavia reached out to try and do something to prevent his fall—maybe grow some vines or a huge tree—but a jolt of pain shot through her body, and she fell forward on the roof against Rin, before gradually tumbling into unconsciousness.


	15. Immortals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the reviews you lovely people, I'm glad you're enjoying your reading experience so far. This next chapter sets the events of the story in go and shifts the narrative in a new direction. There may be times where it seems like I'm being sort of vague, but that's only because certain things will be revealed/explained later on. For now, I hope you enjoy this next chapter and as always if you have any questions, leave them in a comment.

There was a notable lack of sunlight when Octavia awoke, or really  _any_  light for that matter. The room was dim and lit with torches, and it had an old musty smell that made her think of damp and decay.

She sat up, pushing the dusty quilt that had been laid over her, and examined her surroundings.

"Octavia-san," Cyril's voice cut through the dimness of the room, "You've awoken. I'm glad."

Picking out his eerie glinting eyes, she wiped her own sticky ones. "Where are we?" she asked, staring at the glowing flames from the torches.

"The catacombs beneath the castle. They're a network of tunnels people used to use during  _the Fourteen Days of Fire_ , but no one comes down here anymore."

"What's the Fourteen Days of Fire?"

Cyril looked grief-stricken all of a sudden and turned his gaze away.

"We are forbidden to talk about it," he mumbled, but that only worked to fuel Octavia's intrigue more, "It happened during the Inu no Taisho's reign and was a ghastly event. Vicious fires plagued the lands for fourteen days and fourteen nights, and almost burned this kingdom to the ground."

"What caused the fires?"

She didn't ask again when she realised he would give her no answer, and sluggishly rose to her feet. She was then alarmed to find that her muscles were weak and her stomach felt as if it had been tipped out and emptied.

She remembered the darkness that had fallen over the castle prior, and the crocodile youkai that had appeared along with it. Perhaps  _it_  had something to do with this feeling of nausea that had dazed her?

"Cyril," she started, "What happened back when all those black clouds started rolling in? That shadow youkai . . . What was it?"

"Forgive me, Octavia-san, for I do not know."

She hadn't expected him to.  _Oh well_. It didn't hurt to ask.

"However," he continued, "There does appear to be . . . a  _problem_ , because of the occurrence."

"What's the problem?"

"Your magic . . . Do you sense anything wrong?"

Her magic? She blinked and tunneled deep into herself, and . . .

 _Oh god_.

She couldn't feel her magic.

Gasping in shock and alarm, she stared into the palms of her hands and felt for the familiar purge of electricity she often felt thrumming, but was even more disturbed to find  _nothing_. There was nothing to draw from; no electricity sizzling in the power plants.

"What's wrong with me!?" she panicked.

_I can't have lost it already. I only just found out that I had it!_

"I'm not entirely sure, my girl," he admitted, "I tried to rekindle your aura whilst you slept but was startled when I could not find anything. Or perhaps I should say, could not  _reach_. You are like a new slate, wiped completely clean, but somehow I sense that your magic is not exactly  _gone_."

"What do you mean?"

"A block has been placed on you, it seems. A barrier preventing you and anyone else from tapping into your power and drawing from it."

"And this happened just after that shadow youkai showed up," she said, "Do you think  _that_  creature could've been responsible for it?"

"I would place my bets on it. Especially considering what happened to Sesshoumaru-sama."

"What's happened to Sesshoumaru?"

His expression grew even more grave.

". . . It happened at the same time I'm estimating that this happened to you. During the attack, the both of you fell comatose at the exact same time, as if under the influence of a dark spell, and your conditions are . . .  _similar_."

"Has Sesshoumaru had a block placed on him too?"

"Not entirely . . . Sesshoumaru-sama is—"

Then, almost on perfect cue, a figure emerged from the shadows of the tunnels and approached them, those two lustrous golden eyes glimmering away in the darkness. Octavia sucked in a sharp breath when his profile came into the torchlight, and what she saw startled her greatly.

The man was undoubtedly Sesshoumaru, but instead of his dazzling starlight silver mane . . . his hair was instead a murky  _raven_  colour.

The crescent moon emblem on his forehead was gone, and the once magenta stripes on his cheeks were now a dull washed-out orange. His hands were still equipped with sharp claws, she noticed, and his fangs poked out from time to time, but he had lost something about him that had given him his regal appearance before, and he now looked something  _lesser_  somehow . . . almost lacking what made him . . .  _Sesshoumaru_.

"Christ . . ." she whispered, staring at him, "What's happened to you?"

He glared and bared his fangs.

 _Still the same mardy and pretentious arsehole then_.

"Sesshoumaru-sama has suffered perhaps a worse transition than you," Cyril said, "He has lost his imperial blood and breed somehow, and now holds the appearance of a mere  _Black Inu_."

Sesshoumaru didn't look impressed by the warlock's words at all, but Octavia didn't understand.

"Wait," she slowed him, "What do you mean,  _lost his blood and breed_? How can that happen? And what's a Black Inu?"

"The Black Inu are another breed of  _Inugami_ ," a  _new_  voice suddenly joined the scene, and Octavia found herself looking around the catacombs for its owner.

Something small latched onto her face all of a sudden, and she felt a sharp sucking sensation on her right cheek. She lifted her hand and slapped her flesh, feeling something squish beneath her palm as she did, and float down onto her wrist. A type of bizarre insect stared up at her from its perch on the back of her hand, and she resisted the urge to yelp when it revealed it was the owner of the voice.

"Greetings and salutations," it spoke, "I am  _Myoga_ , the flea demon, a trusted ally and vassal of Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Ah! Myoga-kun!" Cyril cried merrily, "How wonderful it is to see you again."

"Likewise, Lord Cyril," Myoga smiled, "It has been far too long."

"Where have  _you_  been?" Sesshoumaru hissed menacingly, and Myoga gulped loudly at his lord's sinister tone.

"Why—Master Sesshoumaru! My sincerest greetings and apologies for not—"

Sesshoumaru crushed the flea youkai between his thumb and forefinger, and Octavia winced at the little  _squish!_  she heard as a result. Myoga was alright though, because he perched on Sesshoumaru's wrist and gave an earnest little bow.

"My apologies, my lord," he said, "I was out on a very important mission for Master Totosai."

"Wouldn't you like me to believe that."

A terrified shiver ran through the flea's body, and he turned his attention to Octavia as a change of subject.

"Pardon my eccentric appearance," he said bashfully, "But I don't think we've been formally introduced."

"Oh," she blinked, "I'm Octavia."

" _Octavia_. . . An exotic name, and quite beautiful, just like yourself."

She felt her flush flooding across her entire face, even though he was only a tiny little flea. What was it with the people of this era and their compliments?

She sensed Sesshoumaru's iron glare on the youkai, and heard Cyril laugh awkwardly to clear the tension. Cooling her blush, Octavia turned back to Myoga and planned to make him continue what he had first said about the Black Inu.

"What you were saying before," she prompted, "About the Inugami. Could you carry on?"

Myoga nodded, "Certainly. There are many different forms of InuYoukai in demonkind, much like there are various breeds of simple canine across the country. Lord Sesshoumaru's bloodline happens to be of the Silver Inu, a royal and highly respected breed amongst many, hence his luscious silver coat and moon marking on his head. The lesser members of the Inu family though, are the Black and the Grey Inu. They have less striking manes and fur than the Silver and Gold Inu—commonly black, brown, or grey, as their names suggest—and they lack the visible royal markings that one from Sesshoumaru-sama's family would have. Master Sesshoumaru here seems to have somehow had that precious blood of his . . .  _retracted_ , though I do not know how, or why."

Sesshoumaru scowled once again at being compared to such apparent lowly beasts, but the discrimination between such similar creatures still seemed unfair and trivial to Octavia.

"The shadowy demon that placed the block on me must have done this to him," she said, "But what would doing this to him achieve? Besides upsetting his pride."

Sesshoumaru scowled at her for that last part, but she ignored him.

"Well," pondered Cyril, "Because of the bad blood between the different Inu packs, and the reputations of each, the people of this kingdom would find it difficult to accept a Black Inu as their King. Perhaps the goal was to  _overthrow_  Sesshoumaru-sama by having his own  _people_  do the job?"

Octavia was distressed.

"That's  _ridiculous_ ," she frowned, "People would rise up and stir a rebellion simply over the race of their ruler? How petty can they be? And even despite that, this is  _Sesshoumaru_. It's still him, regardless of what he looks like. He's still the King they would lay down their lives for, and the man that fought so hard to keep them all safe from the Shikon no tama. But suddenly because his fur is another colour, that means  _nothing_  to them?"

She peeked up at the Taiyoukai after her outburst, expecting him to look annoyed at her or wearing his usual disdainful glare, but the look she saw instead was quite different.

He was staring at her, like she'd expected, but there was no malice this time in his expression. Maybe it was just his physical transformation, but he seemed almost . . .  _moved_  by her words, like what she had said actually smashed through the ice barriers inside and got through. He also looked very confused, though she couldn't understand why he would be. What she'd said had been perfectly valid. His subjects rising up and attacking him just because of something like that  _was_  absurd, and showed little regard or respect for him as the leader they supposedly idolised. Had he just grown used to these mindless customs and double standards? Or was racism and civil dispute just an ordinary thing for the people of this time?

"I agree with you, Lady," Myoga remarked, "But the people of these lands hold far different beliefs and core values to ours."

"Then they are idiots beyond compare."

"Octavia-san," Cyril mumbled, surprised by her passionate outburst.

So was she, but it didn't stop her.

Judging someone merely based on their race or appearance was the most ludicrous thing anyone could do, although many racists still existed even in her time, but if she thought about the influential people in the history of different races who had shown so much importance. Gandhi. Nelson Mandela. Martin Luther King. Oscar Wilde. Where would they be if people just dismissed their successes because of the colour of their skin? Of course, that had almost happened, but it was because of what they were fighting for that combatted against that, and they earned their place as important people in history.

"A man's worth should be measured by what he accomplishes," she said firmly, "And by the goals he strives to attain. Not the kind of face he wears, or where he initially derives from. To base a judgement on that is the mark of a fool."

Something sparked in Sesshoumaru's eyes at that statement, but it happened so fast that Octavia thought she might've imagined it. Maybe these Black Inu were easier to get through to and more reasonable people in general . . .

Or maybe Sesshoumaru was finally starting to listen.

"Why are we hiding down here in these grubby catacombs, by the way?" she asked, the thought only just dwelling on her as her brief rage calmed.

"I had to get Sesshoumaru-sama and yourself away from the youkai up on the surface," Cyril replied, "With his regal inheritance seemingly gone, and your aura diminished, who knows what the other youkai might do as a result? You nothing but a mere mortal, and their King a lesser breed, it is uncertain how they would react."

"And even if they did rise up against Master Sesshoumaru," Myoga added, " _You_  would be the primary culprit for blame, Octavia-san."

"Because I'm human?"

"No . . . Because of your magic. They would think you were an evil enchantress crafting a nefarious scheme to make the West fall."

"So what do we do now?"

Sesshoumaru stepped up then, and Octavia still found it strange seeing his altered appearance whilst his voice remained the same.

"Did you hear what the creature said after it vanished?" he asked, "It told us to venture to a precise plain of land if we wished to recover what was taken from us."

" _The City of Crystal Tears_. . . " she whispered, remembering the ominous words, "But what  _is_  that?"

"There is an island north of here, just past the coast and a little out to sea," Myoga explained, "On the island is a dwelling called  _Namida_ , a place known for its gorgeous glacial structure and crystal falls. It is said that the area is the place where the Goddess Sakimitama's tears first fell and gave life to those who use the spiritual magic. It is a sacred place, but many are too afraid to go there because of the mystical barrier that surrounds the island."

"Namida . . ." Octavia muttered, "It means  _tears_ , right?"

"Correct, Lady. Meaning it literally is a place of crystal tears."

"Then that's it! We have to go."

"Not so fast, Octavia-san," Cyril slowed her, "Myoga-kun mentioned something about a mystical barrier. We must not be reckless in this."

Myoga nodded his little head in agreement. "We must indeed be cautious, for the barrier only grants certain individuals permission to enter. As long as their intentions are pure and without voracity, they should be able to dock on the island with ease."

"And if not?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Then it is impossible to even find the island. I'm told it is surrounded by a thick blanket of fog, which many sailors trying to reach the residence have been lost at sea because of. It is a dangerous place."

"But we can't afford  _not_  to go," Octavia countered, "I need to be able to use my magic, and if what you say about an uprising is true, then Sesshoumaru can't stay like this. Plus, we need to be able to fight whatever evil comes our way because of what the prophecy says. We  _have_  to go."

"Octavia-san is right," Cyril agreed, "She needs her magic, and regardless of what breed Sesshoumaru-sama now is, his strength is also partially diminished as well."

"Is that true?" she asked him, and he gave her a deep frown that confirmed Cyril's words.

"Ah-Un can get you both out of the kingdom grounds and so far, but he cannot take you all the way. He has no personal reason for stepping foot on the island, and will likely prevent you from reaching it. There are captors to the north too who hunt dragons, believing that if they devour their hearts, they will attain immortality."

"That's bloodthirsty," Octavia mumbled, and Myoga nodded.

"Such is this world," Sesshoumaru remarked dryly, and she felt a pang of misery at the matter-of-factness of his comment.

Footsteps sounded just down the catacombs tunnel, and Ah-Un strode into view, the twin heads basked in shadow and dim torchlight. It regarded its master with confounded stares, but nuzzled its heads against his side. Sesshoumaru planted a hand on one of the heads and gave the snout a brief stroke.

Octavia watched the exchange quietly, secretly surprised at the gesture, as she hadn't expected Sesshoumaru to treat the beast with such fondness and familiarity. She found herself smiling because of it, and Ah-Un sensed her beaming eyes and glanced over at her. It sensed the lack of Shikon magic pouring from her, and wandered from Sesshoumaru's side over to her. The right head regarded her curiously, whilst the left one just flashed its dazzling teeth and nuzzled her collarbone affectionately.

"Ah-Un has certainly taken a liking to you," Myoga observed, and she brushed one of the dragon's snouts with her thumb.

"So have  _you_ ," said Cyril, catching the flea in his large scaled hand before the tiny youkai could make a jump for another taste of Octavia's blood.

A chill air blew through the dusty underground tunnels, and Ah-Un straightened up to lead them out.

Sesshoumaru followed right away, but Octavia stayed to bid goodbye to Cyril and Myoga.

"I'll see you," she said to Cyril, then turned to look down at the little flea, "And it was nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon too."

"It was a delight to meet you, Lady. Safe passage on your travels. And try not to let Master Sesshoumaru get on your anxieties too much."

He lowered his voice at the last part, and Cyril looked immensely upset at what he'd said. He shushed him loudly, but Octavia just laughed. She then darted off down the tunnel after Sesshoumaru and Ah-Un and saw a bright light pouring down the catacombs from the outside.

They stepped out into the light and were faced with a huge cornflower meadow. Octavia watched the plants and wildflowers swaying in the wind and glanced sideways to study Sesshoumaru in the sunlight, and was even more surprised at the contrast of his new appearance. His hair seemed darker than ever, and the great fur pelt he carried on his shoulder was  _gone_. He was still very much a youkai though, but there was definitely something less alien about him, even with his long claws and reptilian eyes.

He caught her staring at him and glared, and she bit down on her tongue to suppress a giggle. This was hardly the time for laughing, but she felt exhilarated somehow, and light. She didn't know what he had to be grumpy about, apart from the Black Inugami reputation, because he still looked as strong and captivating ever to her. But then again she supposed he could wear a paper bag and make it look good. Still, like she'd said in the catacombs — it was what was on the inside that mattered. Not the outside. The people of this time era sadly didn't seem to understand that though, and for an overly ambitious second, Octavia wondered if she could change their minds.

Maybe . . .

She didn't think about it for long, because Ah-Un lowered its body for her to climb up, whilst Sesshoumaru rose up on his—noticeably smaller—personal cloud, and took to the skies. The two-headed dragon leaped up after him once Octavia was properly on, and she held on tight as the two youkai soared through the air like bullets, breaking apart the clouds as they flew higher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an fyi: _Namida_ is not and never was an actual geographical place, it's just a place I made up for the story. The _Silver/Gold/Black/Grey Inu_ mythology is also something that isn't from the official canon, but it does play a vital part in this fic, so remember it. Again, more will be explored in regards to it later, so sit tight.
> 
>  **[Tumblr](http://www.bethsmaggie.tumblr.com)**. **[New art for the fic](http://happycookiieblog.deviantart.com/art/Chess-Pieces-627104813)**.


	16. Princess in the mist

They flew several miles north before Ah-Un started to descend and Octavia climbed off its back when they reached the ground. They landed on a dirt road, the surface rocky and engraved with cart tracks, and she winced when she almost stood in a clump of thick, dark mud.

Ah-Un growled farewell to the both of them, then took off skyward and headed back towards the castle. Octavia waved until the dragon was out of sight, then turned to look at Sesshoumaru. "What are people going to say when someone asks where you've gone?" she asked.

"To their knowledge, I am on a journey based on a lead I found. You are accompanying me because of your magic. They know nothing of what happened to us, nor do they know anything about Namida."

"I see. Come on then."

She started walking, but he didn't follow. Turning back to see why, he was staring at her like she was impudent again.

 _So much for being moved by my speech earlier_.

"Aren't you coming?"

"That is south you are walking," he remarked dryly, "Not north."

Remembering those same words he used during their first exchange, she stopped in her tracks and looked away awkwardly. He began walking in the opposite direction she had and she followed after, feeling the Reikon Blade still strapped to her thigh beneath her dress, acting as a source of minor reassurance.

They walked until they came to a fork in the road, and Octavia stared at the road sign intently. Before she could ask which was the right way to go, he turned down the left path without a word. What a great companion for conversation he was. She had hoped for a relatively peaceful start to their journey, but chances of that happening in the warring states period of Japan were pretty slim.

They were walking in silence when a collection of screams and panicked cries sounded from just over the hill, and Octavia jogged ahead of Sesshoumaru to see what all the commotion was about. From the top of the slope, she could see people scrambling up the dirt path screaming and fretting. Their clothes resembled more expensive and somewhat royal attire, but were ripped and tattered as if they'd been attacked. Octavia gasped as a man hobbled up towards her and fell to his knees in the dirt, panting heavily. Sesshoumaru came striding up towards her, and was about to cut the man down with his claws before she stopped him with a horrified frown.

"Wait!" she yelled, clasping his hand to stop his advances, "He's hurt! It looks like he was attacked."

"That is of no relevance to us," he replied, and tore his hand out from hers to begin walking away.

Ignoring his cold arrogance and behaviour, she sunk down in front of the man and spoke to him gently, "Are you okay? Do you need help? What happened?"

The man lifted his head and looked up at her, his eyes old and tired, and he looked at her like she was a godsend.

"Please . . ." he spluttered, ". . . Save the Princess."

" _Princess_? What happened to all of you?"

He coughed up a globe of blood before answering coarsely, "We are residents of the castle down in the valley. A demon attacked us and possessed our Princess. She is in there still, her body stolen by a repulsive body-snatching youkai. Please—You must save her!"

He clutched the hem of Octavia's dress, and she looked up at Sesshoumaru with pleading eyes.

"We have to help them," she said, but Sesshoumaru looked far from compassionate.

"They are lowly humans," was his taciturn reply, "Let them deal with their complications themselves."

He began walking back down the hill, but she snapped at him and stopped him dead in his tracks.

"You're just going to walk away?" she shouted, "Even though all these people are in danger? Yeah, they're humans, so what? That means they're not worth  _saving_? That's ridiculous! How selfish can you be!?"

He glared at her from over his shoulder, but this time she wasn't afraid. She produced a blazing glower of her own and wished for her blocked up magic to be able to send him a wave of electrical heat.

"I can't believe the nerve of you . . . You're no better than the people Cyril and Myoga are worried will rise up against you."

That did something to him, she could tell, but she didn't keep her gaze on him long enough to find out what. She turned back to the man, who was sobbing and choking in her lap and squeezed his shoulders. "I'll help you," she told him, and he gasped with gratitude, "I'll save your Princess and get rid of the demons in your castle. Show me the way."

She helped the man up and cast Sesshoumaru one last furious glance before walking the way he led.

.

.

The audacity. The impudent  _wench_.

She would suffer for talking to him like that.

He watched her follow after the sniveling human down the path towards the valley, and bit down on his lip so hard that he almost drew blood. As if their mission already wasn't difficult enough, with his  _transformation_  and her lack of magical powers. What did she expect to do when she reached the castle? Fight the youkai off with a stick? Try and haul it out of the crazed princess' mouth with her hands? The idea was laughable.  _She_  was laughable. But laughing was the  _last_  thing Sesshoumaru was doing. He was fuming. Filled with rage at her bold words and claims. And the lowly dirty blood running through his regal veins did little to quell that wrath. She was going to get herself killed going in there, unarmed and defenseless. And  _alone_  too. She had gone beyond idiotic, and her motives made no sense. What could she gain from clearing out a human castle and saving a pitiable damsel princess? What could she hope to possibly achieve?

_A man's worth should be measured by what he accomplishes, and by the goals he strives to attain._

She was even more glory-seeking than Inuyasha.

But still, those words had stricken something in him, and that made him angry. She was just a silly,  _silly_  little human, ruled by rash decisions and mundane impulses. A fool beyond compare . . . Yet she was noble, to at least some extent of the word. She valued her morals and stuck by them, where others would give in to their fears and run. She stayed, and she fought.

She was going to die.

 _By what he accomplishes_.

 _And what he strives to attain_.

What did  _she_  strive for? What was it that fuelled her ethics and solidified those resolves so? And  _Gods_  . . . How could someone so senseless and fragile have  _such_  an iron will?

 _Gods be damned_ , he thought with a huff, and sped after her down the dusty mount.

.

.

Octavia followed the battered castle occupant— _Kasai_ , he'd told her—until they reached a path leading down into the valley he spoke of. Thick blue mist surrounded the district, rolling about like waves, and the castle spires stuck out from the fog faintly.

Something was  _moving_  in the mist, but it was too thick to make out what.

Shaking the worry out of her head, she turned to Kasai. "How many demons are in there exactly?"

"Well . . . I'm not really sure," he coughed, "But I saw at least twenty as we were being chased out of the castle."

 _Twenty?_   _Oh brilliant_.

She felt the Blade of Reikon on her thigh but then remembered with dismay that it couldn't cut physical beings. She might fare better against twenty or more demons with an actual sword that  _could_  cut . . .

"Do you have a weapon on you?" she asked hopefully.

Kasai blinked in thought and pulled something out from the inside of his haori. It was a knife. Just an ordinary one, no supernatural abilities or design involved, but it was better than going in there with nothing.

It would've been helpful if Sesshoumaru had come along as her backup, but she thought Hell would probably freeze over before he lent a hand to help when humans were concerned.

Taking the knife, she turned to look at the building peeking out of the mist and swallowed thickly.  _Careful_ , a voice in her mind taunted eerily _. They can probably smell fear_. She gripped the knife and made her way down the cliff path, drifting deeper and deeper into the uncanny mist.

The path in the pit of the valley was a lot harder to navigate because of the mist, but she managed to find an entrance to the castle and wander in. It was dark inside, but there were candles and lanterns lit throughout the hallways and rooms she passed. The floorboards creaked under her feet, and every sudden noise made her heart feel like it wanted to burst out of her chest. Sensing movement behind her, Octavia spun around rapidly with the knife held out, ready to confront whatever it may be.

There was nothing there.

Breathing acutely, she lowered the weapon and continued on her way, following a loud thumping noise from where she thought was the center of the castle. If  _only_  she had access to her magic, then this little quest might be a whole world easier. But she didn't, and dwelling on the fact that she didn't wasn't helping her in any way, so she steeled her courage and gripped the knife.

Katniss Everdeen wouldn't back down in a scenario like this, so neither would she.

.

.

Skyrocketing down the path at the speed of sound, Sesshoumaru came into contact with the human man who had led the puerile girl away. He stared at Sesshoumaru, almost with a sort of hostility, and frowned.

"You . . . must not interfere," he hissed quietly, voice unnaturally low, "We do not want you. This is about  _her_."

Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened.

"You must not interfere—"

He cut the man down just as his eyes began to sink back into his head and a forked tongue slid out from his mouth. It was no man, certainly, for it was a shape-shifting youkai like the one it had warned the girl about! Meaning . . .

It was a trap.

He snarled. Of course it was. But set by  _whom_?

Zipping down the path again swiftly, Sesshoumaru reached the edge bordering the human valley and stared down into the eerie mist casing the area. It warped and shifted like an illusion, and he was certain there were shapes moving in the fog.

Narrowing his eyes, he felt a chill breeze blowing out from the valley and pushing his dark strands back. He lifted a hand and flashed his claws to whatever might be watching him, and produced another warning growl. Even Black Inu could look threatening enough if they wished. Something shifted in the mist then, and a loud screech came from deep within. Sesshoumaru stared intently, claws still pointing upright, and a  _shape_  hurtled forward from the mist towards him.

It resembled the shadowy youkai that had attacked his castle, only this held more traits of a monkey than a crocodile.

It flew straight at him and screeched with its powerful lungs, eyeing him with its hollow sunken eyes. Sesshoumaru stood waiting and extended his hand, and the creature shot right into his waiting claws, impaling itself on him. Whatever scheme was happening here, it undoubtedly had something to do with whoever had organised the unpardonable assault on him and the human. He tossed the body away and shook the black blood from his fingers, then leaped down into the valley in pursuit of his petulant ningen companion.

.

.

The castle growing abnormally darker the further in she ventured, and Octavia began to think that going in alone might've been a very bad idea. Though there was nothing she could see with her eyes, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something in there  _with_  her, but whenever she turned to look for anything, there was ostensibly nothing for yards.

She wished Sesshoumaru had come with her.

Even though he was a pompous arse and extremely rude most of the time, she never felt afraid of other potential threats in his presence.

". . . Hello . . . ?"

She stopped immediately at the sound of the voice and held up the knife.

"Hello? . . . Is someone there?"

The voice was female and sounded afraid.

 _Perhaps it's the Princess?_ Octavia thought hopefully, but then remembered that Kasai had said the Princess was possessed. If that was the case, whatever was calling now . . . was unlikely someone who actually needed help. But. She couldn't just leave someone in need, and if it was the youkai controlling the Princess, after all, she could make quick work of the job and get out of here.

Squeezing the handle of the knife, Octavia swallowed and made her way towards the voice, pretending not to notice the Reikon Blade seething violently at her thigh, almost in  _warning_. Reaching a paper screen, she reached out and slowly slid it open, then peered inside. The room was dark, but a figure sat at the heart of it on their front, and Octavia managed to pick out the traditional  _Hime_  attire.

"Princess?" she called, and the figure sat up.

It was indeed a princess, and she smiled with relief at the sight of Octavia.

"Oh thank goodness you've come!" she cried, "I was afraid that everybody was gone, and that I was left here all alone for the demons to devour."

"I didn't see any demons on my way in here," Octavia commented, and the Princess seemed thankful to hear that.

"Perhaps they finally left this place. Wouldn't that be the blessing of blessings?"

"Somehow I doubt that . . ."

The Princess stared at her, oddly, and Octavia wondered if there was something wrong after all, because she held out her hand and beckoned her to her.

"Won't you help me up?" she asked, "The youkai threw me in here and injured my leg because of their vehemence. You will be rewarded for this great deed, I promise."

Still wary, Octavia walked further into the room and reached to take the Princess's hand, knife still clutched in her other. The second her hand connected with the woman's, however, their palms sealed together like magnets, and Octavia found that she could not let go. She yelped and tried to get away, but the Princess erupted into a dark thunder of snickers. Her face was hidden by the shadow of her hair, but when she looked up her eyes were gone, replaced by blank horrifying pits. Octavia shrieked when the creature gave a face-tearing grin and revealed two sharp sets of teeth. She tried tearing her hand away again, but without avail because the Princess Youkai tightened its grasp on her and pulled her closer.

More youkai were revealed then, confirming her suspicions that she had never been alone in the castle, and an abundance of evil gloomy beasts appeared around her and the Princess. They bore a resemblance to the crocodile youkai that had placed the block on her magic, only these were of various kinds of creatures and animals. Grunting at the painful grip of the Princess Youkai, Octavia used the knife and sliced her bony hand off, freeing her own hand. The Princess screamed in anguish and jolted back, but the shadow youkai surrounding began to advance inward. Octavia bit her tongue as she looked at them all, unsure of how she was supposed to take all of them on and triumph, and one holding the appearance of a wolf suddenly lurched forward at her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and held the knife out to it, and thought for a moment that she must have killed it when it never attacked her. But when she opened her eyes again, she saw that she'd in fact been  _saved_.

Sesshoumaru stood in front of her with his hand piercing the youkai's abdomen, and he tore it out, along with the creature's still pumping heart.

" _Sesshoumaru_!" she breathed—surprised that he'd actually come, but immensely relieved to see him—and he shook the blood from his claws.

The Princess Youkai screeched.

" _YOU ARE NOT TO INTERFERE_!"

She lunged towards him and he readied to kill her like he'd killed her companion, but Octavia called out quickly.

"No, don't! She's just possessed!"

Whilst looking furious, Sesshoumaru actually obeyed her, and just avoided her attack.

He leaped over to Octavia and slashed away one of the shadow youkai that came for her, leaving her standing quite uselessly with the knife. "The man who led you here was one of these creatures in a guise," he said, "You cannot believe his tale of possession."

He shifted to take the Princess out, but Octavia reached and caught his hand.

"Don't kill her!" she pleaded again, "Find a way to get the youkai out of her!"

"I just informed you, human, that she—"

" _Duck_!"

Octavia suddenly jumped onto him and pressed him down into the wooden floorboards, and one of the bull-like youkai went crashing over them and into the paper screens behind. When it came running back, she swiveled around and held out the knife, and it ran right into the blade. Sesshoumaru looked up from beneath her with astonishment, and she crawled off him.

"Please . . ." she whispered, " _Try_  and save her."

Even if the story about the possession wasn't true, she couldn't let an innocent person die because of an ounce of doubt.

.

.

_By what he accomplishes._

_Coward._

_Please._

.

.

Octavia blinked when Sesshoumaru handed her one of the swords he kept strapped to his hip, then unsheathed the other with the jigsaw-like pattern on its sheath. He walked towards the Princess Youkai and the remaining shadow beasts and held the sword in their direction, a vivid bright green emitting from the blade.

He seemed to be searching for something as he stared at the Princess, and Octavia wondered what it was.

Eventually, he lifted the sword and the energy around it began to ripple. Once the vigour had built, she expected him to swing it in the direction of the enemies, but instead, he sent it plummeting towards an object at the side of the room and boomed . . .

" _Bakusaiga_!"

A green blast of power hurtled towards the edge of the room, and the entire wall came crashing down with the force of it.

A pot on the ledge fell during the blast and smashed into millions of pieces, and suddenly the Princess was screaming. She fisted her hands into her hair and screeched, and a ghostly spectre rose up from her body. The shadow youkai began to flee at this point, and Sesshoumaru leaped up towards the ethereal wisp that had come from the Princess. He sliced it in two with his sword and it vanished, and the mist surrounding the castle slowly rolled out. The shadow youkai absconded the vicinity speedily, and Sesshoumaru only managed to execute a few before they too had disappeared. Octavia sat trembling slightly with his other sword in her lap as he floated back down to her, and sheathed the sword which had caused too much destruction on their foes. He took the other sword back and placed it on his hip, and turned his attention to the Princess who laid on the ground across the room.

Scrambling up onto her feet, Octavia saw that the Princess was beginning to stir, and she ran to her side.

"Princess?" she called, " _Princess_? Are you alright?"

The Princess lifted her head and blinked her deep brown eyes, exhaling. Octavia released a sigh of great relief, and helped the woman to her knees. As she did, she looked at Sesshoumaru, who was standing above them with sunlight pouring onto his dark mane from the fallen wall, and light hitting his face splendidly. He looked back with a hint of arrogance, like he'd known he could win all along, but she couldn't find it in her to care about that.

She smiled, widely, and it puzzled him.

". . . You did it," she said, "Just like I asked you to . . . You saved her."

He looked even more surprised now—the orange stripes on his cheeks smoother than they were usually—but she only smiled harder.

"I knew you could."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word dictionary:
> 
> • **ningen** \- human.


	17. Harvest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments!!

"I am forever indebted to you for slaying the youkai and for saving my life. How can I ever possibly repay you?"

Octavia flushed at the Princess's kind words and managed to ignore Sesshoumaru's silent egotistical mood in the presence of so many humans. The throne room was filled with subjects—all humans—and the two of them were stood before the Princess as she expressed her gratitude to them.

"My name is Princess Chiyo," she said, "May I have the pleasure of learning your names?"

"Octavia. And this is Sessh . . .  _Lord_  Sesshoumaru."

She cut herself off and added the title because she knew he would've kicked off if the Princess had failed to add the correct honorific. He didn't say anything and he wasn't looking at her either, but she sensed he wasn't  _dis_ pleased by what she'd said.

Chiyo smiled. "Well then, Octavia-san and Sesshoumaru-sama, you have my dearest thanks. If not for you, the youkai would have taken this castle and my life. You are owed the lives and loyalty of all you have saved."

Octavia smiled too.

"Thank you. But it was nothing."

The gaze Sesshoumaru directed at her reminded her that it  _wasn't_  nothing, since she very almost died before he showed up, but she brushed it off. It cost nothing to be humble, and she was grateful he had come to her aid. There had been a while where she'd expected him not to, but like always, he swooped in and saved the day at the very last second.

And he hadn't killed the Princess.

He'd said he would, and even now she didn't think he cared about the welfare of humans, but yet . . . He hadn't killed her. He'd found a way around doing so and ended up saving her. And Octavia thought then that maybe there was a part of  _him_  left that could still be saved.

"I shall give you these gold coins and precious belongings, as well as two of the swords my late father treasured more than anything."

A servant presented them with two smooth-polished swords, and Octavia picked one up happily, examining the lovely blade with admiration.

Sesshoumaru looked at the swords with fleeting scorn, but one sharp glance from Octavia made him conceal it and accept the gift with an apathetic expression.

"They were both forged with one feather each from a Phoenix," Chiyo told them, "And they work brilliantly at vanquishing demons. Sesshoumaru-sama may be a youkai himself, yes, but he cannot be foul in intentions if he saved me and this castle. I pray that you find them beneficial."

Octavia bowed her head in thanks and held the sword to her chest.

"We will. Thank you."

.

.

As they walked up the cliffside path leading out of the valley, Octavia examined the swords they'd been gifted, Sesshoumaru now refusing to touch them because he saw them as inferior to his weaponry. She glanced forward at him, walking ahead with that newly changed black hair hanging down his back, and thought of how he'd rushed to her aid in the end, even after firmly declaring he wouldn't. She'd shouted at him,  _insulted_  him, yet still, he came.

She wondered why.

Quickening her steps, she caught up with him and walked at his side, casting occasional probing looks from time to time. He obviously knew she was doing it, but apparently had reached the limit of his daily quota of words to pass comment.

"Back there," she started, "When I asked you not to kill the Princess . . . Why did you listen?"

"You are  _questioning_  my decision to not eliminate the wench?"

"Yeah. Like you said, there was no way of knowing if she was possessed or actually a demon in disguise. The safest choice would've been to just kill her, but you didn't. Because I asked you to."

"What exactly are you trying to say, human?"

Her gaze trailed down to the road ahead, and she bit the inside of her cheek.

"You've never taken anything I said into consideration before," she said quietly, "I'm just surprised."

"Your claim was correct. She was indeed possessed."

"But how did you know that?"

She doubted that he had that much faith in her to be able to put his life on the line just to save a troubled mortal, though he was hardly at risk of dying with his level of strength. But he didn't act on wild speculations unless there was absolute proof to back it up.

". . . Her hair decorations," he said finally, "I noticed them shining during the fight, so I traced the energy signature to a nearby jar containing similar items. They were what the youkai was using to solidify the proprietorship. Demon puppetry."

It was the pot. So that was why he had aimed that way, instead of going for the main source like he'd originally planned to do. He had taken into account what she'd said, then studied the scene for evidence of her claim.

And he'd found it, because he used it to defeat the body-snatcher.

"Sorry I wasn't very useful in there," she mumbled, and he snorted.

" _That_  is a  _vast_  understatement."

"Hey, I did get one with that knife. And I made you duck when one came flying your way."

"That is correct, but aside from that, you were far from cooperative."

She might've scowled at those sorts of words before, but she found herself smirking at the tone he was using. It wasn't what one could call joking, but there was an air of lightness to his words which made her think he might be exaggerating her role—or,  _lack_  of role—in the battle to some extent. There was a visible lack of tension between them now, she noticed, and she walked at his side holding the swords with a pleasant expression painting her features. Perhaps now they had a shot at being  _friends_ , that is if he stopped insisting on calling her  _human_.

Friend was probably a bit of a stretch, but at least the days of him strangling her and her leaving burns on his hands were over. She hoped. Surely from here, the only way they could go was up?

They would have to see.

.

.

Several miles onward, Octavia began to feel hungry. She asked if they could stop to eat, but Sesshoumaru wanted to cover some more distance before nightfall. It was almost sunset now, and he threatened to keep walking into the night if they stopped now.

Groaning in irritation, she insisted that she needed a bathroom break instead, and he agreed to stop for a short while for that. She strayed from the path into the forest with a snicker, her true intentions actually being to search for fruit. She beamed when she spied a tall tree with juicy red apples hanging from the branches and wandered over to pick some. As she was doing this, however, she failed to notice the portentous rustling in the bushes nearby.

Picking a third apple, Octavia planned to go back to Sesshoumaru, when a giant  _hand_  suddenly closed around her from behind and picked her up. She tried to scream to attract Sesshoumaru's attention, but the giant's massive thumb covered her mouth and prevented her from doing so.

Tilting her head as best she could, she panicked more than she already was when she discovered that the large monstrous hand belonged to an  _Oni_.

 _Oh, Jesus Christ and all things holy!_  she howled in her mind, and struggled in the youkai's grasp. This was such a cliché.

Her struggling only made the Oni tighten its hand around her, and it carried her away into the forest, the apples she'd picked lying disregarded on the grassy turf in its wake. She summoned some strength into her lungs and screamed against its rough-fleshed thumb, but a bare minimum of sound came out. She was beginning to tire of these helpless maiden/damsel in distress situations she seemed to keep getting in, and thrashed in the giant ogre's hold more aggressively, biting down on the skin of its thumb like a rabid animal. Her gnawing didn't seem to faze the creature though because it just kept walking over the trees like she was a mouse it had caught, and that only frustrated her more. If she had admittance to her magic right now, the creature would be a great big pile of cinders the second it even reached to pick her up.

It carried her deeper into the wood, and she worried that it planned to . . . have its  _way_  with her like the other one that attacked her had, only where no one could burst in and rescue her. Sesshoumaru had to come for her, though it irritated her that he had to keep doing that. Soon he would notice it was taking her a while to come back, and he would come and slay the Oni and save her yet again.

Only he wouldn't have to  _do_  that if she had her damned  _magic_.

The sooner they reached Namida and regained their abilities, the better.

Ignoring her struggles, the Oni carried her deep into the forest until it reached an assortment of caged wagons which she assumed were commonly used for transporting cattle. Sounds came from the carts, some that sounded like frightful cries for  _help_  and the occasional animalistic growl. There were more Oni guarding the wagons, and Octavia decided to still her thrashings when the one carrying her approached one of its comrades. Their soulless eyes flashed red in communication, and the one holding her lifted her up higher.

She swallowed and met its chilling gaze boldly.

Releasing a grisly rumble that she supposed was laughter, the Oni squeezed its hand around her and opened up one of the wagons, then threw her in. She landed on her bottom on a bundle of hay, then tumbled forward onto her face. Distressed murmurs sounded all around her in the cart, and she lifted her face from the floor to see groups of youkai  _and_  humans alike huddled together in chains.

They were  _prisoners_ , chained up like slaves and ready to be taken to market.

Octavia lifted her head to see the Oni staring down into the wagon at her, and yelped in fright at the nasty sight. They rumbled with laughter again and reached down to strap strips of chain across her, then closed up the roof and left the prisoners alone. Struggling in the strong chains, she turned her attention towards the others who were also trapped. There were various kinds of people in this one cart alone, some demon, some human, and they even had children bound and covered with bruises. She looked at one of the kids, a frightened male kitsune, and swallowed her dread.

"Hey . . ." she mumbled in Japanese to anyone who might answer, "What is this? Why are we here? And what's with the horrid trolls out there?"

The children shivered at her words, and a lot of the adults looked down at their feet troublesomely. Some of the youkai released low hisses and growls that held fear and distraught, and Octavia wondered what was the case.

A man came forward then—human—his arms and feet caught in chains which prevented him from coming all the way towards her, and replied.

"We have been chosen as harvest for the youkai outside," he said in raspy breaths, "I was given warnings of this very happening before I set out into these forests, but I thought they were nothing but villagers' gossip."

" _Harvest_? What?"

"There are stories of the demons in these forests that capture those who pass through their land and lock them up like livestock. After they've gathered enough, they take them to black markets for the most malevolent of youkai . . . and sell them as living goods to those who wish to buy. A perverse system of trading."

Octavia was startled.

"But you're talking about  _slavery_! You're saying they plan to put us on a demon market to sell like we're  _possessions_? That's terrible!"

"Hush yourself, Miss," he warned, "Whilst creatures such as Oni are typically rather stupid, there are people far more threatening who are in control."

"Slave masters," she hissed quietly, "So the youkai that enslaved us are just the workers."

"Yes. Their masters are far worse . . . They wear human faces, but do not be fooled, for they are as monstrous as they come. It would do you well not to anger them, and hold your fervent tongue, for they will  _beat_  it out of you otherwise."

Biting down on her tongue, Octavia refrained from shouting her reproach and sat silent. Her thoughts ran wild as she felt the chains pressing into her flesh and her battered corset dug just as deeply into her waist and chest.

One of her earrings had been torn out when the Oni grabbed her, and there was a large tear in her right earlobe which she could feel leaking blood. Wishing she could rid herself of the other earpiece and sharp choker around her neck, she shifted in the restrains and kicked off her shoes.

"Don't worry," she whispered to the man quietly, "I'm not alone. Soon my companion will realise I'm gone and come after me, then he'll slay all these miserable beasts with his claws."

"You're  _traveling_  with a  _youkai_?" he gasped, almost horrified at the knowledge, "Are you not afraid he will turn on you?"

"Not at all."

"Even if this demon is your associate like you claim, he will not fail to rip out your heart and eat it once you least expect."

"You're wrong. Sesshoumaru wouldn't do that to me. He's . . ."  _He's my friend_. At least, she thought she wanted him to be. "He'll come and we'll be safe," she said firmly, but the man didn't seem moved by her words.

"Even if he does," he sighed, "He won't be able to escape the spell that binds these wagons."

Her heart skipped.

"What spell?"

"A fence that prevents any lifeform from leaving its boundaries after entering, human  _or_  demon. If he comes here, he will be of no more use than the rest of us."

She choked on her breath. So that was why even the strong looking youkai that were captured in here were unable to leave. She had thought they might be able to burst through the cart's walls and take their captors with ease, but if what this man said about the seal was true . . .

She looked out through the barred window of the wagon and willed Sesshoumaru not to step foot inside.

.

.

Sesshoumaru had wandered into the forest after the human, annoyed that she was taking so long, but was rather perplexed when he could not find her anywhere.

He wandered through the trees in search of her distinctive scent, and felt his boots connect with something on the ground.

Apples.

He leaned down and picked one up, studying the mush and bruises on the side it had fallen, and found  _her_  scent there. How peculiar. So the rebellious girl had defied him again? She must have strayed off on her own in search of nourishment to fill her pitiful little stomach, even though he told her no . . .

He sniffed the air.

There was something on the wind, along with her distinguishable outlandish smell. Something he recognised as very distressing and bothersome indeed. Dropping the apple, he sped off using his decelerated youkai agility and followed the alarming stench. Once he found it, he came across an abundance of peasant wagons, each filled with the scents of disheartened humans and youkai.

Her scent was here too.

He moved to the cart where her smell was the strongest and found the door suspiciously open. There were no locks in sight at all, and he wondered why the individuals inside didn't simply flee.

Pulling the door open, he peered inside and saw the bodies of humans and youkai, chained up and shaking with fear, and amongst them he saw  _her_. She turned her head at the sound of the door opening from where she sat in metal chains and her wrinkled skirts, and looked momentarily filled with joy at the sight of him. That joy was short-lived, however, for it soon bled into extreme worry and  _anguish_ , and he found himself disturbed by the rapid change in expression.

" _No_!" she cried as he stepped foot inside the cart, "Don't come in! If you do, you won't be able to—"

But it was too late.

A strong force took hold of his body, and he found himself unable to exit the wagon. When he tried, a wave of ferocious electricity took root in his bones and stunned him, sending him stilling like a marble statue as the shock ran through his veins. The blast was hardly powerful, but because of the pathetic form he was in, he was forced to his knees, recoiling from the assault after it faded.

"Sesshoumaru!" she called his name, and crawled over to him in the embrace of chains, "Sesshoumaru . . . ?"

Her ear was bleeding. He'd smelled it instantly and now he saw it trickling down her neck and onto her collarbones. The blood was thick and metallic, and he winced at the concern in her green eyes when he met her gaze.

"I tried to tell you," she whispered, "There's a spell on this cart. Once you enter you can't get out. I tried to say . . . But I was stupid and didn't say it fast enough. Are you  _okay_?"

He steeled himself and granted her a nod.

A voice came from behind her, and Sesshoumaru almost growled at the cruel words.

" _This_  is your companion?" it asked, "I told you he'd be no good when he got stuck in here as well."

Lifting his head, Sesshoumaru saw that it was just a simple human male, clad in armour and frowning disappointedly. The girl simply frowned at him because of his unkind words, but then turned back to him.

"Can you use any of your powers?" she asked, and he glanced down at his talons.

He'd lost the ability to summon his whip of light and produce acid from his fangs and fingernails when he'd turned into this damned Black Inu, but his teeth and claws still worked like any youkai's would. He slashed at her chains with them and cut her lose, a breath of relief falling from her lips as she was freed. She rid herself of her clunky jewellery then and pulled the sword the human princess had given her out of her corset. He noticed that her feet were bare when she stood, and she went around the cart cutting the other prisoners free of their chains.

Finished, she came back to him and eyed the swords at his waist, and he knew what she was wondering.

"Your swords . . ."

"Bakusaiga and Tenseiga will not work in here," he said, "They are demon swords."

Her face fell.

"Isn't there any way to get out then?"

"We must first understand the motives of our captors."

She turned to the human who'd made the smart comment earlier and spoke. "This man . . ." she said, waiting for him to give his name.

"Ryuuya," he said, and she went on.

" _Ryuuya_  says everyone here is to be taken as slaves and sold at a black market. Apparently, the Oni aren't the ones behind the plans, there are others, more dangerous — beasts who wear human faces . . . Like . . ."

"Like  _I_?" Sesshoumaru finished, and her expression flooded with guilt.

"I didn't mean—"

"I know what you meant.  _Human_."

She looked hurt by that, and he ignored the tiny stab of guilt  _he_  felt at making her appear that way. He glanced at the clusters of humans and youkai also in the wagon and saw the way they scooted back underneath his piercing gaze. Even the other youkai, ones who would ordinarily eat humans, shied away from his stare like they were afraid, and though he wasn't sure where the thought had come from, he found himself wondering if this was how  _Inuyasha_  felt during every moment of his existence.

Dreaded by humans, yet not quite belonging with youkai either. Caught in the middle. Unwanted by all.

He pushed the thought away aggressively and turned back to the girl.

 _A man's worth should be measured by what he accomplishes_.

He should have never taken her false words to sentiment.

Yet still, the look in her eyes, beyond the guilt . . . There was faith there, in him, and an adolescent sense of confidence. She  _trusted_  him, he realised, even though she just naïvely compared him to a mindless beast.

But why would she do that? What had he ever accomplished or strived to achieve that she had valued? What had made her think that she could ever possibly trust him when he'd made it perfectly clear he would never trust her? Why . . . ?

The mystery of her was never-ending.


	18. Lady on the front

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd let you know that this fic and all my other multi-chapter ones are going to be put on hiatus after december, simply because it's nearing exam season and I'll have a lot to focus on since these ones are very important exams. I'll be back once they're all finished, which should be around july (*fingers crossed*). I'll still be active on **[tumblr](http://www.bethsmaggie.tumblr.com)** if you have any questions or just want to chat, and I might re-appear for special events just to post a little one-shot every now and then.
> 
> This isn't the last chapter before hiatus though so fear not, and please enjoy your read!

Octavia stared at Sesshoumaru, ignoring the blood on her neck and trying to convey her sincerity and regret.

She'd made a mistake. Saying that. And he'd taken it to heart.

_Like I?_

The wagon started moving then and the other passengers moaned in dismay and clung to one another. In that moment, there was no division between youkai and humans. They were both the same in this scenario. Both small, both trapped, and both scared.

They both needed saving.

Octavia sucked in a breath and stood. Sesshoumaru watched her movements as she turned to address everyone in the cart, and she felt his gaze sharpen like a blade as she began to speak.

"Everyone," she called, "I need you to listen."

_Listen. Please . . . Listen._

They all turned their eyes towards her and she swallowed at the intensity of it all. The cart shook beneath her feet as it rolled along and she fortified her nerves. Sesshoumaru was watching her, and she would  _not_  humiliate herself in front of him of all people.

"We can get out of here, but we have to work together."

Surprised gasps and quiet whispering came from a few, but she didn't let them discourage her.

"There are lots of us," she said, "Maybe even more than them, and most of us are still in a condition to fight. If we work  _together_  and fight, we'll be able to get away."

Ryuuya rebuked instantly, "Humans and youkai working together is impossible! But even if we could do that, there's still the spell trapping us in here. We wouldn't be able  _try_  and escape, never mind  _fight_!"

 _Just listen_.

"That may be the case," she confessed, "But they'll have to let us out eventually. Once we reach our destination, maybe even before that. The minute that happens, we have to attack."

"All of us against a bunch of giant ogres?" someone squeaked, and Octavia's face softened.

"They are big, but like many of you know, they're stupid. If we can outsmart them, and if their masters don't come along . . . we can do it."

"But how do you suggest we attack?" Ryuuya asked, his tone still doubting.

She faltered.

How? She hadn't thought that far ahead. How to attack . . . ? How to . . . ?

Sesshoumaru rose from his knees then, as gracefully as ever despite the situation, and surprised her with his words.

"Are you that simple-minded?" he asked harshly, "That you do not know how to slay a mere weakling youkai such as an Oni?"

Octavia looked at him with wide eyes. He didn't return her gaze, and stared down Ryuuya severely, who seemed stricken with shock.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, "Of course. Typical useless human."

"Sesshoumaru," Octavia whispered.

"To attack an Oni," he ignored her, "One must aim for the back of the neck or the base of the spine. Such a lowly beast is not immensely strong in general, but those are its largest weak points. If you can hit either, you may have an ounce of a chance at surviving."

Her mouth fell open slightly and her eyes widened, because he was  _helping_  her. He'd seen that she didn't know what to say, so he'd answered for her. After she'd affronted him just before it too. He was still right there on her side, helping her through like they were supposed to on this journey. Just like they were supposed to.

He glanced down at her then with his extra-terrestrial golden stare and her olive eyes were glittering with gratitude.

He looked caught off-guard by her expression, but she only smiled kindly.

 _I was wrong to say that_ , she tried to say with her eyes. _You're nothing like those horrible brutes_.

"Knowing that," she turned to the others in the cart, "If we wait until we're out beyond the seal's reach, someone will give the signal and then we'll advance. Those who can fly aim for the necks, and everyone else, do whatever you can to get the lower part of the spines."

Ryuuya didn't seem to have anything to argue after that, and the rest of the prisoners seemed to think such a thing was possible. But they were still in doubt, just a little, and Octavia knew she had to do something to help that. So, she called on a trait she knew she could depend on, one Sesshoumaru was so easy to dismiss, but one which was so effective . . .

Her humanity.

"You," she called, pointing to a skittish tanuki in the corner, "Where were you going before you got imprisoned in here?"

The youkai blinked, then answered hesitantly.

"Home," he said, "The missus and my son are waiting for me. I had a whole sack of honeyed acorns for them."

She nodded.

"And you," she asked, speaking to an old woman with a scar down her left cheek, "Where were you going?"

"I was visiting my granddaughter. She's getting married."

She asked a couple more their stories and Sesshoumaru watched her with curious eyes, not understanding what she was doing.

After hearing so much, she broke out into a smile and shifted her gaze from one end of the cart to the other. "There," she said, "Do you see what we all have in common with each other? What so many try to dismiss?"

She looked at Sesshoumaru, encouraging him to take a guess, but wasn't surprised when he didn't.

". . . We all have reasons to keep living. Hopes. Dreams. We all have people that care about us—who'd fret if we suddenly went missing one day—and we all have people we care about too. Human or Youkai . . . We're united by our ability to love, and  _be_  loved by others.  _That's_  how you tell us apart from monsters, not by race."

That got a reaction from them, and they all began passing looks amongst one another.

Regardless of whether they were human or youkai.

When she looked to Sesshoumaru once again, he was regarding her with that strange thoughtful expression he'd had in the castle catacombs. His midnight strands hung around his face like drapes and the orange slashes on each cheek were lax. He seemed to be repeating her words over in his head and deciphering them, because although he was possibly the most intelligent being there, he seemed to be having the most difficulty understanding.

 _He doesn't believe humans and youkai could_ ever _be the same, in any world._

_How can he have gotten this far and still be so blind?_

"You can use your swords when we're out," she said to him, "They're done for if you use that attack you used at the Princess's castle."

The confusion shattered like glass and his eyes flashed dangerously.

"Indeed."

Her eyes flickered down to the two blades at his hip, and she wondered what use the  _other_  one had.  _Bakusaiga_  and  _Tenseiga_. That's what he'd called them. She'd heard him shout the former's name when he used it to unleash a wave of obliteration at Princess Chiyo's castle, but he'd given  _her_  the latter to hold during the event like a form of protection. What was it? She wondered. And what exactly did it do?

The wagon hit a sharp halt then, and Octavia stumbled on the straw-covered floor as Sesshoumaru caught her arm. The prisoners whined at the abrupt stop and shook with anxiety, but there was still that hidden look of resolve they all had because of her words burning away.

They might be afraid, but they would fight. She knew they would.

The door to their wagon opened then, and Octavia held the sword with the Phoenix feather behind her back. They might not be able to attack the barrier, but if someone came  _in_ , they could absolutely attack  _them_.

She stood beside Sesshoumaru, his hand still gripping her arm even though she wasn't struggling to stand upright anymore. She felt Ryuuya rise to his feet behind them, and he also came to stand beside her. She shot him a fast glance and his eyes were full of anticipation, and for a moment she wondered if this was the kind of thing he'd been waiting for. She frowned, seeing the shape of a person stepping up and into the wagon, and tried to tap into her Shikon magic but was disheartened to remember she could not. Visceral strength was all she had to rely on now, and she wasn't particularly good in that field. But she could be  _clever_ , she thought, if it came down to it.

She was ready to be clever.

A woman came hobbling into the cart, wide built with troll-like features herself, and she examined them all. Her skin was coarse and resembled jagged rock, and her hair was thin and colourless like dry grass. She had tired, but sinister washed-out eyes, and Octavia picked out a set of sharpened teeth when she opened her mouth and smiled.

Her drained gaze fell on Octavia.

" _Ah_ ," she purred, as if she'd made the grandest discovery, "Such rare and extraneous features. And beautiful attire, she wears. Never have I seen such a fair sight. Exotic loveliness like this is bound to result in  _bags_  of gold and silver from the consumers."

Octavia swallowed a tremor. The woman had just described her like she was a sheet of  _wallpaper_ , guaranteed to bring customers flocking. She was about to open her mouth to say something when she felt Sesshoumaru's claws suddenly dig into her arm.

" _Ouch_!" she hissed and glared at him.

"Do not run your mouth," he warned quietly, "This creature is not what it appears to be."

She blinked.

 _Beasts with human faces_.

The woman flashed her sharp teeth again in another smile and walked forward until she was face-to-face with Octavia. Sesshoumaru withdrew his hand from her arm, and she felt dreadfully unaided without the contact. The woman stared deeply into her eyes and Octavia almost felt sick at the foul odour coming from her chasm of a mouth.

" _Delightful_ ," she hummed, "You will bring me in a fortune, girly."

She squeezed the hilt of the sword behind her for support and held her breath when the woman leaned in to drag her long, sandpaper tongue across her throat for tasting.

As she was doing so, Octavia moved swiftly and thrust the sword up into her side.

The woman screamed, an awful shrill scratching sound, and drew back. Blood dripped from the sword in Octavia's hand, thick and venomous black-green, and she held the handle tightly, hoping that no one would notice her shoulders shaking. More blood leaked out from the woman's side where she had stabbed her, and she was starting to resemble a  _woman_  less and less. She—if that was even the correct pronoun—was beginning to resemble a troll even more, and her fangs grew large as she produced a hideous snarl. Staring at something glowing, deep in the column of the troll's throat, Octavia wondered what it could be. Until Sesshoumaru's words about how he knew that Princess Chiyo was possessed came back to her.

 _I noticed them shining during the fight_.

The beast's neck was crackling with an eerie kind of electricity, the same kind that zapped Sesshoumaru from head to toe when he tried to leave the wagon . . . And suddenly she understood.

"It's her . . ." she realised, holding the bloody sword tightly, "She's controlling the forcefield . . ."

Sesshoumaru glanced at her for clarification, and her eyes shone with force.

" _Kill_  her!"

He didn't have to be told twice to do that.

He leaped forward like a jaguar, claws outstretched and aimed for the troll woman's throat, and they skewered her front like knives. She appeared slightly dazed by the action, but wasn't felled by it. Her skin truly did hold the quality of stone, for Sesshoumaru's claws failed to penetrate, and she took him by the shoulders and  _squeezed_. He hissed in considerable pain as she pressed her iron fingers into his skin and pierced, drawing blood. Were Black Inu less tolerant to pain? Octavia didn't think she'd ever seen him display so much discomfort.

About to lurch forward and lend him a hand, Ryuuya darted past her with his cracked armour and a sharp piece of chain and stabbed it into the troll's stomach. She howled in pain as he kept on stabbing, and before Octavia knew it, more from the wagon were joining in to fight. Humans and youkai alike all ran forward and began throwing punches at their captor, and the demons sunk their teeth and claws into her, trying to break the stone flesh.

She released Sesshoumaru during the assault and he staggered back, Octavia dropping her sword and darting forward to steady him.

They turned their attention back to the troll and the prisoners that were fighting her, and one finally managed to break the stone at her neck. The flesh shattered, and the electrical glow ceased, as did the spell around the edges of the cart. Now that the seal was gone and the woman was dead, the prisoners all thundered in victory and flocked out of the open door. Grinning wide with glee, Octavia gave Sesshoumaru a shove and picked up her sword, which was still damp with the troll woman's dark blood. She ran towards the door leading out and waited for him to follow, and he did with a limp in his step she supposed he was trying to conceal.

They stepped out from the wagon and onto the barren turf outside, and found they were on the edge of a deep rocky canyon.

A sultry wind blew through the area and whipped up the skirts of Octavia's dress, and her torn earlobe throbbed with pain. She imagined she must look a sight, barefoot in her flared gown and laced up back, bleeding from the ear, with a sword she had no idea how to use in her hand.

 _Like a Lady from a story who picks up a sword and joins the fight_.

_A makeshift warrior._

"Looks like our friend back there wasn't alone," Ryuuya said, rushing over to her and Sesshoumaru, and she turned to see what he was talking about.

More of the troll beasts stood by the open wagons, each now emptied of its prisoners, and the Oni towered above like angry giants. The trolls still wore their human faces, which made them look even more terrifying to Octavia, and they sprung forward to reprehend them all.

A flying snake youkai shot through the air past Octavia and stopped just above her as if  _she_  knew what to do. She stared at it with wobbly eyes, but then remembered Sesshoumaru's words.

"Go for the backs of their necks," she told it, "Take anyone who can fly and get rid of the Oni!"

The snake nodded its bronze head and shot skyward towards the Oni's heads, more youkai capable of flight following it. They went straight for the back of the throats and tore out clumps of the ogres' flesh with their teeth. The Oni that had been targeted quavered and then fell,  _killed_  by their former prisoners' jaws. A human man was struggling with one of the human-faced trolls, but a large weasel youkai quickly came to his aid and bit the creature's stone head off. Similar acts occurred all throughout the battlefield, and Octavia felt her heart swelling with hope at the sight of the two races banding together and abetting one another.

She was right. It was possible. They  _could_  do it. This was proof that they could. If things were like this across the country, the needless hate and racism would be non-existent.

She turned to Sesshoumaru to see his reaction to the ordeal and felt a pang of revulsion wind in her chest when she saw that his face was twisted with stifled pain. His eyes were glazed dark and his jaw was clenched. His brow creased and wavered as beads of sweat began to build there, and she sensed he was biting his tongue hard behind his sealed lips. She stared at him with panic swirling in her features, clutching the sword tighter for support, and he felt her eyes on him and looked down.

He appeared guilty to have been caught displaying an ounce of uneasiness, and withdrew all traces of pain from his face.

He must have been hurt worse than he cared to admit, but of course, he would never on any planet even  _dream_  of saying so.

Her eyes wobbled with apprehension, and he frowned deeply.

"Look out!"

Ryuuya's frantic cry from the distance cut through the sticky air and they turned to see one of the Oni that had been cut down toppling towards them.

Sesshoumaru moved instantly, throwing her over his shoulder and leaping out of the way. She yelped at the sudden action and knocked her head against his plate armour, an upsurge of dizziness falling over her because of it. Her skirts flew into his face so he landed several feet away from where the dead Oni had fallen, and she wriggled to be released. Not letting her go, she craned her head and saw one of the trolls sprinting towards them, its human face mask-like and frightening, and she held onto him by his kimono sleeves and tugged on them wildly for him to run. He did, and she pulled herself up from over his shoulder so she could see better. The creature was still following them, and she swallowed a shriek at the bursts of speed it seemed to have whilst advancing closer.

Gripping the Phoenix Sword, she glanced at it and wondered if its mortal blade would have any effect now that the beast's skin had been hardened.

An idea sprung into her mind and she gasped.

If Sesshoumaru had heard the gasp, he didn't respond and just kept running faster and faster despite his impairment. Octavia shifted her blurring gaze down to the yellow obi tied around his waist, and the two demon swords he kept there. The troll youkai was getting closer, and with Sesshoumaru's strength and health somewhat diminished, Octavia chose to rely on a whim that had suddenly come to her in the midst of battle . . .

Reaching down hastily, she drew Tenseiga from its sheath and held it out.

The troll seemed amused by her gesture and let off a hideous laugh, before hurtling forward at an even higher speed. Gripping Tenseiga's handle, Octavia squeezed her eyes shut when the monster was about to reach them, and prayed for the sword to work like she hoped. And luckily for her, that prayer didn't go unanswered.

A flare of imperial blue light shone from the sword and created a glass-like orb, and Octavia opened her eyes to see it shining ferociously. She could feel Sesshoumaru's mind racing, and every eye on the battlefield turned towards what was happening with the demon blade.

Tenseiga shone brighter than any beacon she'd ever seen, and the once small orb stretched out towards the approaching troll, and obliterated it into a blast of ashes. It  _protected_  them, just as she'd suspected, and the blue light extended out towards the sky, pushing through the clouds and tearing them apart with its explosive power. Sesshoumaru stopped running now that their chaser was defeated and lowered her from his shoulder. The Tenseiga still shone brilliantly and pulsed with its supremacy in her hand, and he stared at it with great astonishment and disbelief. The blue beam shot way up into the sky and churned the clouds, and a growl of thunder rumbled through the canyon.

Turning to look at Sesshoumaru's violently astounded expression, she reached down and took his hand—which caught him by surprise as well—and curled his fingers around the blade's handle.

He stared at her, face and irises bathed in marine blue light, and stared at him with raging iridescent eyes.

 _This is your sword_ , she willed.

 _Use it_.


	19. Fang of Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. The last chapter before hiatus. I tried to end on a note that isn't _too_ much of a cliff-hanger, but we're still in the middle of a quest so obviously I can't wrap it all up _completely_ at this point in the narrative. Still, I hope you're satisfied until we meet again in July next year (wish me luck with exam season rip). Don't forget to review and let me know what you're thinking or if you have any questions, because I'll still answer those and any messages you send to my **[tumblr](http://www.happycookiie.tumblr.com)**. So enjoy your read! Thanks for getting this far, I couldn't keep going like this if it wasn't for you. Sayonara everyone until later~
> 
> (p.s. you might want to look at a map of Sengoku/Edo Japan for geography reasons in this chapter)

Soul-shattering eyes boring into her, Octavia pressed the sword into Sesshoumaru's hand in the hopes that he would use it, and unleash whatever power it was blistering with which was powerful enough to shake the very skies.

Sesshoumaru just stared at her, regardless of the battleground.

He just  _stared_ , eyes hot and sizzling with a prevailing intrigue. The look unnerved her, but there was no time for such things now, so she pressed the handle harder into his palm and made her own eyes blaze. And for what felt like the first time . . .

He understood her.

Holding Tenseiga's handle, he took the sword and he held it up towards the beacon that was causing the clouds to whirl, and let the blue energy soak into him. Octavia watched with fascinated eyes as the energy flooded into his bones and skin, and the beam above crackled with even more vigour than before. The Oni shuddered and scattered at the absolute power, and the human-faced trolls began to tremor with fear.

Sesshoumaru kept his metal eyes fixed on the cobalt ray, a look of almost  _delight_  growing on his features, and it was then that Octavia wondered if the sword wasn't  _supposed_  to do something like this. His lips almost curved into an actual smile, and the beacon above suddenly flared outward and across the battlefield.

A blue wave of light washed across the barren wasteland, and the Oni and trolls screamed in weakening. Tenseiga shook in Sesshoumaru's hand as countless energy poured from it, and eventually, the slave masters fell to the ground in defeat. Octavia watched the youkai that had helped them shivering under the sword's intense frontier, and panicked when they looked like they  _too_  would fall.

But then the most remarkable thing happened.

The humans from the cages stepped up suddenly—each of them completely unaffected by Tenseiga's influence—and caught hold of their youkai brethren. They joined hands, embraced, and did other uncharacteristic things that humans and youkai would probably never do with one another, as if they desired to  _save_  them from the detonation . . .

"That's enough!" she said quickly to Sesshoumaru, "The adversaries are dead so you can stop now! Please, you're killing the ones that helped us!  _Stop_!"

As if on cue, Tenseiga's light dimmed and the sword ceased its violent shaking. Sesshoumaru glanced at the blade with puzzled eyes, seemingly wondering why it had stopped, whereas Octavia released a deep breath of respite. She too wondered why the sword had stopped so suddenly, and without Sesshoumaru's will commanding it, but then she remembered the purpose she'd initially and correctly believed it to have.

It saved people.

Sesshoumaru giving it to her in Princess Chiyo's castle . . . His wonder at seeing it work for something other than mere shielding . . . It made sense. The sword was meant to  _protect_  others, and once the danger was gone, so was the force within the blade. She smiled at the realisation—though it would have to be confirmed for accuracy later—and waited for Sesshoumaru to sheath it. He did, but his expression lacked the amount of satisfaction it had had whilst he was utilising Tenseiga's destructive power. It was as if he wasn't happy enough with all the people he'd  _saved_ , because he hadn't been able to use the sword to  _annihilate_  more. He had bizarre opinions on what was a success and what was a defeat, she thought, because this was certainly a success in her mind.

"They're dead," Ryuuya said, coming over, "All of them, they're all dead. We  _won_."

"It was  _I_  that achieved the victory," Sesshoumaru corrected sourly, and Ryuuya shrugged.

"Maybe. But you'd be dead if we hadn't all come to your aid in the wagon."

"Such a futile being could not kill me. I would have prospered  _without_  your assistance."

Octavia shook her head. "Don't mind him," she said, "He's a bit of an arrogant sod."

Sesshoumaru glared, but Ryuuya laughed.

"That certainly rings true. But you were right, he did come for us like you said he would, and now we are free. That is not all either. We are free because of the support of  _youkai_ , something I had not thought possible until today, but it has happened nonetheless."

Octavia smiled, "Maybe in the future, you and your people won't be so quick to disregard those who are different to you. A bit of acceptance and the effort to understand them will bring you a long way."

"You are right, alas."

"Like I said in the cart, many youkai are just the same as you and me. Yes, there are bad youkai, just as there are bad humans. It has nothing to do with the faces they wear. It'll do you good to remember that."

"I will remember," he nodded, and then broke out into a smile too, "There is an air of intellect about you, Miss. You are young, but you are wise. What is your name? So I may remember you and the service you have done for years to come."

Her cheeks felt warm because of the comment about her being intelligent, but she willed them to cool and answered his question.

"Octavia. And this is Sesshoumaru."

"Octavia-sama and Sesshoumaru-sama. I shall not forget the two of you. Thank you for what you have done, and good fortune in your travels."

She smiled wider.

"You too."

Ryuuya went with a certainty in his step towards his former imprisoned companions, humans and youkai mixed, and made off away from the canyon wasteland with a few. Each turned and bid thanks to Octavia and Sesshoumaru before they left, and eventually, it was just the two of them left alone in the unfruitful land. She studied her sword, caked with dirt and dried blood, and wiped it on her dress. Sesshoumaru watched her do so, the warm gust blowing his dark bangs into his eyes, and she felt the block on her magic sturdier than ever. She didn't know why she'd expected what they'd done today to weaken it in any way.

Finishing wiping, she tucked it back into her laced-up dress, and peered up at his apathetic expression.

"Your sword," she started, "It's not supposed to be able to attack, is it?"

His eyes flickered, and eventually, he whispered in response.

"No."

She continued, "I saw your face when you used it during the fight. You were surprised. Its primary purpose is to protect anyone who needs protecting, isn't it? That's why you gave it to me in the castle before."

" _That_  is what prompted you to use in defense against the troll?" he asked, "A measly notion?"

"Better than just letting it eat us. Or sell us like merchandise."

He  _hmm_ ed in reply, and she studied his face.

". . . Why were you disappointed when it stopped working?"

He looked at her.

"The enemies were dead, but you wanted to keep going. I asked you to stop, but you weren't going to. Not if the sword hadn't stopped of its own accord."

He looked away, and she felt a flare of frustration edging into her mind at the evasion. With a sigh, she frowned slightly and shook her head.

"I don't understand how you work." she admitted.

Unbelievably, he  _laughed_.

Not loudly, but it was more than his usual chuckle.

"Likewise."

But his mirth did little to move her, because she still stared at him forcefully.

"You can laugh," she said, "But I  _will_  understand you. That's a promise." He stopped then and looked at her like he might sympathise, although she had no idea what with. "I will. If we have to work together in this fight against whoever, I want to know the kind of person I'm working with. You're not a monster, Sesshoumaru, but you're not a saint either. You're not black  _or_  white. You're sort of . . .  _grey_."

"If I am grey, what are you?"

_What are you?_

She had a strange desire to say  _purple_.

People had colours, she'd always thought. Colours that defined and shaped them. And she was purple. Whenever someone asked why, she could never tell them, because for some reason she didn't know. She just knew that if each person had a colour, hers was purple. Lilac or jasmine.

"I don't know," she said instead, "But it doesn't matter."

She didn't know that it did to him.

"Perhaps not," he mumbled, and she had the strangest feeling that he wanted to say something else, but he didn't.

He started walking away, and she followed him with a baffled scowl on her face. He wasn't as cruel and awful as he seemed to want people to believe, but he wasn't an angel of light. There was a darkness in him, tucked deep inside, rousing silently, but he kept it locked up like a vault. Whatever it was he was keeping inside, she doubted he would show it to her.

Maybe it was for the best.

.

.

Travelling further north, Octavia realised she had no idea where they were geographically and began searching for a sign or landmark. Sesshoumaru noticed and questioned her on it, and she laughed awkwardly at having been discovered.

"I was just wondering where we are on the map. But then again, I didn't even know where we were at your castle. And I suppose the counties in these times had different names to the ones in the modern day, so I don't think I'd know if someone told me anyway."

"My castle is in the province of  _Aki_ ," he answered, "On the edge of the sea facing westward. We are in  _Iwami_  now, to the north, almost at  _Izumo_ , and swiftly heading towards the ocean."

Octavia's head spun at the unfamiliar names.

"What about Kagome's land?" she asked hopefully, recognising that area at least as the medieval version of Tokyo, "What's that called?"

"That is the district of  _Musashi_ , which is many miles to the east."

"Right, okay. And how are we getting to the island where Namida is? How do we know where to cross the sea from?"

"You are full of so many questions," Sesshoumaru remarked tediously, "And your sense of direction is nothing to be admired."

She ignored the insult.

"Well?"

"Myoga claims that the island is north someplace, but he failed to give us an exact location, which makes me suspect he does not know himself. In fact, there may not be  _any_  that know its exact location."

"So how do we find it?"

"We shall have to navigate the path ourselves."

"You mean blindly sail through dangerous waters with no clear route in mind? That doesn't sound smart. And besides, us and what  _ship_? I don't suppose you've got one booked and waiting in a harbour. Or are you just planning to steal one?"

The glint in his eyes confirmed the latter, and she gasped.

"You  _are_! Oh God."

"There is no need for worry. No one could prevent me from doing so."

"It takes more than two people to man a ship though. Are we going to steal a crew as well? We could always call for Kagome and Inuyasha—"

" _No_."

She stopped at the austerity of his tone and stared.

"Why not?"

The troubled expression on his face along with the added aggression made Octavia realise it was because he didn't want to be seen like this, not even by his own brother. Surely he wasn't worried that his own  _family_  would overthrow or use the knowledge to destroy him? But then again, Britain's history alone proved that royalty killed their fathers for less. Killing the King to gain the throne for oneself seemed like a reason enough, so maybe that was why he was so upset.

She sensed it was more to do with his egotistic pride though.

"There's nothing wrong with the way you are right now," she said, "Inuyasha's spent his whole  _life_  half demon. I don't think he'd turn on you because of this. He's your  _brother_."

_It might just be the humiliation he would feel at letting his brother see him like this though. He has no reason to be ashamed, but that won't stop him from feeling that way. There's no doubt about it, he'd rather die than grant Inuyasha the pleasure of mocking him over this._

"You do not understand, human."

"You don't make it very easy to."

He looked at her with weary amber eyes and sighed soundlessly. Even his sigh was elegant and immaculate. Silver or Black Inu, he still looked effortlessly graceful no matter what he did.

He carried on walking, raven locks fluctuating as he did, and she watched him with sad eyes. Because this man—who was so strong and beautiful regardless of what colour fur he wore, and was respected by all who looked to him for sustenance—couldn't seem to see his own worth. He was excruciatingly arrogant, ironically, but at the same time, he was filled with a self-loathing which Octavia didn't understand.

He strived for perfection, and he certainly had it, but it wasn't enough.

So what did he  _really_  want? Was it everlasting beauty? Power? Conquest? What did he  _want_? Octavia didn't know, and perhaps he would never tell her. She sensed he would never tell anyone.

He glanced back over his shoulder at her, probably wondering why she didn't come, and she saw the way the sunlight shone off his silky locks, regardless of if they were ebony or platinum. He was so beautiful that sometimes it hurt to look at him, like he was made of glass, and the mere image of him could cut. But glass was also so incredibly breakable, and he seemed to be not. He was more beautiful than almost anything she'd ever seen. A painting rose to life. More beautiful than she could  _ever_  hope to be, and whilst he flaunted it like a weapon she doubted he really noticed during all his antipathy.

And that made her sad.

Pushing away those thoughts, she started walking and followed after him, and he turned his gaze back to the road ahead. As she was walking, however, the thoughts returned and she couldn't help but think . . .

He was a demon, but only an angel could hold a blade from Heaven.

 _Grey_.


	20. Unchained

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _I'M BAAAAACK!!_ Hi kids, I hope you all had a nice time during this hiatus. Technically my exams aren't even fully over since my last one is this thursday, but I was tired of waiting so now you get a new chapter early! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews, they really encourage me to keep writing faster, so keep it up! And so finally, here you go... another chapter.

"I don't want to alarm you, Sesshoumaru . . . but I think my chest is visible."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head back to regard her and she gestured to her torn and tattered dress that was ripped almost to pieces. The bottom hem had been savaged, jagged and dirty, and the top bodice had been split apart almost, revealing her shoulders and much of her collarbones. It hadn't really been a practical garment for traveling to begin with.

A single brow of his rose as he asked, "And this should bother me, because?"

She frowned.

"I don't want to be naked. In public."

"Perhaps public humiliation would make you less irritating."

Scowl deepening, Octavia stalked past him and muttered one of the few Welsh words she'd picked up from living in Cardiff, simply to confuse and irritate him more.

" _Drahaus_."

 _Arrogant_.

The brow that had risen lowered then, and he stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to repeat the word as if he'd misheard it. He hadn't, of course—his hearing was close to perfect—so the hilarious fact that he had absolutely no idea what she'd said tickled her.

"What?" he hissed finally, and she grinned.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Come on,  _dwp_ , let's go see if we can find a town that will lend us some clothes."

 _Dwp_  meant  _stupid_ , which just made it even funnier when he glared at her. She smiled sweetly and carried on walking, desperately hoping that he wasn't getting an eyeful of her through one of the rips in the dress. She tried to cover her rear with her hands without success and was startled when a cloth was suddenly thrown at her from behind.

Holding it, she realised that it was Sesshoumaru's outer haori, sheer white with its regal red floral pattern. The red looked faded with dust but there didn't appear to be many severe rips in it like her dress.

She turned to see him standing some way back from her in only his inner haori; a pale ghostly lavender. He wasn't wearing his armour anymore, she noticed, and thus saw that there was a large split in the fabric up one of his sides, revealing the hefty muscle beneath. A long magenta stripe like the ones on his cheeks and wrists was visible through the tear, and she tore her eyes away quickly.

"Thank you," she mumbled, and he strode past her.

He smirked. "Come . . .  _bái ch_ _ī_."

Her lips parted out of shock at the unfamiliar words and she stalked after him hurriedly. "Did you just insult me in a different language?" she blurted, and his smirk only grew.

"Mandarin," he corrected, "And yes. But do not forget that it was  _you_  who started this feat."

An almost smirk tugged at her lips.

"What did it mean?"

"You did not tell me. Why should I tell  _you_?"

About to make a smart comment, Octavia kept it to herself and simply walked beside him, his haori now draped around her like a protective blanket. She wondered where he'd learned the language and wanted to ask, but she didn't. She also wondered why she didn't. She wasn't afraid of him anymore, so why didn't she ask? Why didn't she . . . ?

 _He doesn't have friends_.

That was what Koga had claimed, but . . . She stole a glimpse at him and wondered how she was meant to connect with someone like Sesshoumaru. Would it be possible to ever label herself his friend? Or would she just forever be a foolish human girl who wandered into a world that was too dark and too wonderful for her to stand?

She held the textile of his haori around her and wondered.

"There is a village coming up soon," he announced to her, "Stop there and acquire the appropriate clothing you require."

His change of heart startled her. She almost asked why he wasn't accompanying her, then remembered that it would be a human village. He may look less flashy with darker hair, but his ears and orange markings still made him stand out quite considerably.

She smiled.

"Thank you."

.

.

He stopped walking once the village came into sight and sunk into the trees. She was grateful that he hadn't asked for his haori back. Holding it around her tighter, she made her way down the dirt path towards the tiny settlement. Clutching the money Sesshoumaru had given her tight in her palm, she entered the town and contemplated where to even obtain what she required.

She wasn't wondering long, because soon a man whom she assumed was the village Priest came rushing to her side.

"My Lady!" he cried breathlessly, "Oh, the state of you. What terrors must you have you faced? Are you in need of assistance?"

 _My Lady?_  Oh, it was her attire and Sesshoumaru's royal haori.

"I just wanted to buy some clothes," she answered.

"It is done, but please do not worry about the payment. Any garment we could provide you with would sadly not meet your pleasing anyway."

Her eyes widened and she waved her hands, "Oh no, don't worry about that. I don't want to trouble you. Anything will suffice."

He appeared humbled by that and the lines of stress faded from his face. "It is no trouble at all, my Lady. Please, come this way. I welcome you to my home." He led her to his hut at the edge of the settlement and as they went, several villagers stared at her, intrigued by her presence in their small town. "Feel free to rest if you need," the Priest smiled, and she smiled in turn.

"I'm all right. Just a bit dirty and roughed up."

"What happened to you, if I might ask? And why are you alone?"

Octavia knew she had to present a believable enough story that was bad enough to explain her current state, but not so bad that he would insist she stay for too long.

" _Bandits_ ," she blurted, that having been the first thing to spring to mind. "Bandits attacked our carriage—cart?" Was there even a difference? "We managed to escape but they stole all of our possessions and horses."

But what about her being here alone?

"My companions . . . have a camp established nearby. They insisted on staying there whilst one accompanied me here for safety."

"Where is he now? He would have been more than welcome to join you."

"Close. He's, um . . . very . . . antisocial."

It sounded ridiculous. Only a fool would believe such a flawed tale, but the Priest didn't push any further. He lit the fire at the center of the hut and gestured for her to sit. She did and he searched for something in the corner of the room. After a moment's digging, he produced a bundle of kimonos and offered them to her.

"I know they are nothing of great beauty or value, but I hope these will fit your liking."

She smiled and accepted the blue one with a yellow sash. "I am very grateful," she lowered her head in thanks, and he rose to leave the hut. "I will leave you to change," he said, and exited through the straw flap covering the doorway.

Octavia moved quickly in his absence, stripping out of the savaged regal gown and into the simpler village girl's kimono. Her hips failed to properly fill the clothing and it hung on her in an unflattering manner. Ignoring the fact, she closed the flaps at the front and tied the yellow obi around her waist. The Priest had left her a pair of sandals and socks and she stuffed her feet into them, cringing at the thought of walking great distances in them. Maybe she could find some more durable boots further north. For now, however, they would do.

Combing her fingers through her knotted tangle of hair, she removed the remaining pieces of jewellery and set them down on the Priest's table as thanks. Glimpsing the Reikon Blade still fastened to her thigh reassured her and she ran her fingers along its smooth handle. She left the money next to the jewellery as well out of goodwill and left.

The village was oddly empty as she stepped out of the hut, and she scanned for people as she wandered through the array of wooden shacks. The farther she walked, the more a sense of unease befell her. What was that feeling plaguing her heart so suddenly . . . ?

One turn of a corner later she discovered the cause for the feeling.

A group of bandits had invaded from one end of the town and had gathered its inhabitants on the ground on their knees. Women and children sobbed as the men laughed—the sound guttural—and Octavia shot back behind the hut she had come from. Her story would certainly seem believable to the Priest now, who was also on the ground being restrained by a huge beast of a man.

The images of the helpless women remained burned on the inside of her eyelids. Helpless, half-naked, and crying.

What could she do? How could she, a mere girl, fight the bandits when her power was locked away? On her own she was  _useless_ , and she couldn't count on Sesshoumaru to save a village of mere humans. So what was she to do? What could she do to help them?

An idea formed in her mind and she spotted a hefty rock on the ground by her feet. Reaching for it, she clasped it and inhaled deeply. If she was going to do this, she had to be quick. Fast. Like light filling a room at the flick of a switch . . . Like a lioness stalking an antelope from tall grass . . .

She exhaled.

Coming out from the cover of the hut, she raised her arm and hurled the stone as hard as she could in the direction of one of the bandits' heads. It hit its target, colliding with his skull like a bullet and he stumbled in shock.

Turning his head, he saw her and yelled gleefully.

"Look, boys!" he bellowed, his voice orotund and rough, "Another woman!"

They all turned their heads in her direction and she balled her fists, then bolted in the opposite direction.

Some gave chase and she ran through the wooden houses, changing direction wildly and using the narrow passageways to her advantage. The design of the kimono she was wearing restricted movement so she ripped one of the sides and went leaping over some boxes of vegetables. The men chased her all the way to the edge of the village where the stables sat, and she made a dart for them and leaped onto the back of one of the mares tied to a post outside them.

Untying the rope quickly, she tried to calm herself. It had been a long time since she'd ridden a horse but she thought she could remember the basics of it. Digging her heels into the horse's sides, it went speeding off and then circled back around towards the approaching bandits. They seemed taken aback by the fact that she was heading  _towards_  them, but didn't slow. Pulling at the mare's mane, it made a leap just before the first man . . . then landed on his face, crushing him into the ground.

The others let out gasps of horror as she trotted away from the bandit's crumpled face and shot them all a great, dazzling grin.

Drawn by the spectacle, the other villagers had come to watch and all stared wide-eyed. Running on adrenaline, Octavia patted the mare's neck and kicked off in another direction. Enraged, the bandits drew their swords and ran after her, trying to drive her into a corner where they had her surrounded. A futile plan.

She steered the horse back in the direction of the stables, narrowly avoiding the bandits pursuing her, and grabbed a bucket hanging on a hook. Shifting direction again so that she was heading towards the men, she swung the bucket like it was a rope in a rodeo, then flung it at one of their heads. The impact knocked him out instantly and he fell backward, tripping two of his assailants.

The villagers began to cheer loudly then, and the grin on her face was ear-splitting. She felt wonderful—riding bareback and beating men scum like these into the mud. As if she could do anything. It was in that moment she realised that didn't need magic, or a sword, or even Sesshoumaru.

She was like no woman the people of this era had ever met before, and that meant that they had miscalculated her power.

One of the village men tossed her a pitchfork and she struck several of the remaining bandits with its wooden end. She pained grunts they hissed as she hit them were irresistibly addictive, and she wondered then if this was how Sesshoumaru felt when he engaged in battle. There was a joy in it, she thought, battling those who were beneath you in morality. With every murdering, manipulating,  _raping_  vermin she struck, she felt a surge of unchained thrill. Each one she took out felt like she was destroying the ideologies and the entire system that had made her feel worthless, incompetent, and oppressed back home. It was men like these that made the world so terrible and dark. Men who thought they were owed everything and did horrible things to get what they wanted when it wasn't given.

As the mare kicked a bandit that was approaching from behind, sending him sprawling backward in pain, Octavia's eyes slid closed and she let the feeling of violent euphoria consume her.

Her and Sesshoumaru were the same . . . They were the damn same.

She heard the battle cries of another bandit, and her eyes snapped open and she launched from the mare's back and lunged at him with the pitchfork. The sharp ends of the fork landed in the soft earth and she made a move to kick him square in the jaw, but miscalculated and fell to the ground, hard. The force as she hit the ground winded her, and the bandit started to laugh madly, then came to stand above her.

He stood with his feet on either side of her body and pointed his blade down at her throat. She glared up at him, eyes blazing with undiluted hatred. The tip of the sword nearing her skin, she bit down on her bottom lip and probed inside of herself for the locked magic. She shook the bars holding it captive and screamed inside of her head.

If she wasn't so small, if she wasn't so lacking in physical strength or training, she wouldn't be so powerless.

 _You are not powerless_ , a voice whispered in her mind. One she didn't recognise.  _You are not, Okteviah._

The bandit's eyes were wild and his smile was lethal. Deepening her glare, she lifted her foot quickly and kicked him right in-between his legs. He doubled over instantly and she crawled away, practically laughing. She'd always wondered why they never did that in movies, especially when they always had the perfect opening to do so.

She scrambled to her feet and stared down at him, hunched over in agony and whining.

 _That's why you wear armour down there_ , she thought with a victorious sneer.

Recovering relatively fast, he hauled himself up and stood staring back at her with venom in his eyes. He held out his arms and balled his fists, baring his teeth, and she tensed. She was no longer armed and he was a giant of a man. There was no way in  _hell_  that she would ever be able to beat someone him in hand-to-hand combat.

 _You can_ , the unknown voice hissed again, poisoning her with impossible promises.  _You can._   _There is nothing you cannot do, for you possess the power to accomplish anything you wish._

She didn't have time to ponder over the owner of the voice or why she was hearing it because the bandit suddenly lurched forward and she readied to leap out of the way . . . when something slashed him from behind.

A jade whip of entirely light materialised from seemingly nowhere and cut the bandit down from behind. It sliced into him, making his flesh bubble and fizz with poison, and then he fell to the ground instantly, dead. His back sizzled with green toxicity and Octavia's heart leapt as she looked up and saw  _him_  standing several feet away down the field.

Sesshoumaru withdrew his light whip and held her gaze, his own irritated—probably at the mess she'd caused—but also almost . . . somewhat  _impressed_.

Her eyelids fluttered and she breathed deeply, suddenly feeling the ache in each of her limbs. Sesshoumaru's youki flooded the area and she reveled in the shining intensity of it. He sensed her reaction to his power and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, puzzled, and she swallowed. The villagers were silent in the presence of such a powerful demon, and Octavia stood with her feet rooted on the spot as he slowly stalked towards her.

He stopped only a few inches from her and studied her carefully. She steeled herself and held his intense stare. She had no doubt that he had been watching the entire time, but she had refused to call out for his help.

She wondered what he'd thought of her riding the mare and fighting the human filth without even a proper weapon of any kind. He relished in undressed power and the thought of him watching her put on such a display filled her with an odd feeling that drew a long shiver across her body.

She wanted to be able to fight properly, the way he could. She wanted power like his to ripple from her own skin and flood the senses of everyone for miles around, intoxicating them and sending them manic.

She craved to be overwhelmed and seduced by it.

_I could show you power like that, Okteviah True Jewel._

They stared at each other in the proximity and felt the waves of formidable hunger radiating from each other like fires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word dictionary:
> 
> • **Drahaus** \- Arrogant  
>  • **Dwp** \- Stupid  
>  • **Bái chī** \- Idiot
> 
> (Also i think it's extremely likely that octavia has some form of exhibitionist kink lmao)


	21. Change the world

Despite him being a youkai, the villagers ended up thanking Sesshoumaru for ridding them of the rest of the bandits, and Octavia smiled. They showed them immense gratitude and many complimented her for the scene she had put on whilst fighting them. Her cheeks warmed at the kind words and she remembered the feelings she'd experienced whilst doing so.

The strange voice in her mind was silent, and she wondered if maybe she had simply imagined it.

Okteviah True Jewel, it had called her. What was that name?

Such a bizarre manifestation of insane thoughts.

Sesshoumaru kept passing her quick dubious glimpses.

He was quiet like usual, yet uncharacteristically polite to the villagers that wouldn't stop thanking him. His eyes were cautious when he glanced at her, assessing her as if whatever answers he was seeking would be written on her face for him to see. He hadn't said anything since he took out that bandit for her with his whip, and there was a thick tension between them she could feel. She was somewhat confused at how he'd managed to summon said whip considering he had said that he'd lost the ability to, but her thoughts were occupied with other things at that moment.

Something had passed between them. Something she didn't recognise.

 _I will understand you_ , she'd promised.

She didn't feel much closer to fulfilling that promise, but something had transpired within her as she was fighting those men that made her think she perhaps did understand something she hadn't before.

His eyes were like blistering, boiling lava when she met one of his glances. There was a rage mixed in with that slither of approval she was certain she saw, as if he was angry with her. She wondered what he would say and do to her once they were alone, and that thought on its own sent another shiver pulsing through her.

Now she just felt extremely silly.

They listened to the villagers' appreciation and praise until they allowed them to retreat to the lodgings they had gifted them, since the night was fast approaching. Octavia thanked them earnestly then told them that she wanted to bathe, and made her way down to the river beyond the trees.

She could feel Sesshoumaru following her, his youki spreading out like rapturous, terrifying wings.

He made no move to mask his powerful aura from her and she fought against the grin forming on her lips.

He was just showing off now.

She strode through the trees with him on her heels and the soil underfoot was soft. Once the foliage parted and the river became visible, she stopped at its edge and turned to face him. He stopped about a meter away from her—eyes burning like crystal amber and a vigorous juxtaposition against his midnight hair. He blended in with the twilight like a shadow himself, simmering with demon strength, and she waited for him to voice his notions.

"Are you quite fond of showing off, human?"

She wanted to say that his voice was like ice, but it wasn't. It was molten and restrained. Quiet. Low. Deep and throaty.

"Perhaps," she answered, "Just like you."

His eyes darkened.

" _I_  do not involve myself in unnecessary scrapes as you do. That scenario was completely avoidable yet you still chose to intervene, thus wasting both our times and making our tedious journey longer."

She tilted her head, dangerously, and tightened her mouth. "So you think I should have left them to die? Like a  _coward_?" Her emphasis on that last word was sharp.

"It was not your business to involve yourself."

A burst of anger flared in her chest and she bit her tongue. They were back to this, it seemed. His prideful refusal to help those beneath him, simply because helping them wasn't in his best interest.

". . . I thought you were past this," she whispered.

He raised a brow. "You thought I had changed my mind on the matter?"

Her glare intensified and she squeezed her fists at her sides. "I  _thought_  that you'd started to see the value of life, regardless of whether a person is a human or a demon. I thought you might have finally seen their worth."

"Only a fool would think that way."

"Your father did."

The flames in his eyes tripled and he stalked closer. She lifted her head to hold his gaze once he was towering above her with wrath in his features. The faded stripes on his cheeks were jagged like knives, and she resisted the urge to shudder at the sharpness of his face.

"My father was a brainless fool regarding the matter," he hissed.

"Stop trying to pretend you're so different," was her quick retort, "You love Rin like she is your own. Your father loved Inuyasha's mother and you hated it because you couldn't  _understand_  it. The thought of him loving something so fragile and small was unthinkable to you, so you projected that hatred onto the entire human race."

Something else flickered with the bonfires in his eyes. A new kind of rage triggered by a long-hidden memory. "You know  _nothing_ ," he spat, "It is your foolhardy righteousness that is laughable."

"Is it?"

"You speak against every little thing you disagree with and fight what cannot be fought. You want to tailor the world to your wants? It is impossible. Especially for a tiny little human such as yourself."

She felt tears pricking at her eyes.

"But not for you?"

His eyes narrowed and he answered bitterly, "Obviously."

Tears of frustration grew in her eyes and blurred her vision so that it wobbled. Sesshoumaru became a static outline and she bit her tongue so hard that she thought she'd drawn blood. Gone was the fleeting daydream of him admiring her display of power from before, replaced with a crestfallen devastation.

She whispered, her voice breaking, "If . . . you don't fight what you don't agree with . . . if you don't  _try_  to change the world's ideas . . . then how can you expect to be worth  _anything_?"

The tears started falling then and she turned away.

She hated herself for letting him see them.

How could he understand so little? Was it just the brainwashed attitude of the time? She'd hoped he would be different, that he would  _see_  differently, but of course, she had been wrong.

As she stood crying quietly, exasperation radiating from her, she felt fingers reaching for hers. They clasped her hand and she breathed a choked gasp, jolting at the contact. Not daring to turn, she stayed facing away from him and felt his grip on her hand tighten. Thick hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she stared at the shaking sapphire river only a mere few feet away.

Dusk rolled in like mist and blanketed the land in a murky purple. Sesshoumaru still had her hand hostage and she tried to ignore him, until another hand crept up to her shoulder and pushed her hair out of the way.

She felt the tips of his claws lightly scraping across the back of her neck and she trembled. His breath poured onto her skin as his fingers trailed along her neck and shoulder.

She was pathetic. She was alone and pathetic. He probably knew it but her tears were slowly drying and the pressure on her heart loosened. Was that his intention? To distract her and cease her irksome crying? She didn't doubt it. Yet the feeling he was arising . . . It was a foreign feeling. Startling and frightening.

"One of their blades caught you," came his voice suddenly, and she jumped at the closeness of it.

"What?" she managed to ask, her own voice coarse.

His claws softly tapped a part of flesh on her shoulder and she winced at the kiss of pain that it brought. Tilting her head back, she saw the line of blood where one of the swords had pierced her.

She hadn't even felt it because of the boundless adrenaline.

"Come," he beckoned, and gestured for her to sit on a set of rocks beside the river. He seated himself just before her and withdrew a handful of leaves from a plant growing by the water.

"What's that?" she whispered as he leaned forward to press them over her wound.

"A medicinal plant. It is used to treat flesh injuries."

He plastered enough leaves over the cut so that it was covered then leaned back. She examined the band-aid made from leaves and then looked at him. Feeling the remaining dampness of her cheeks, she wiped them with her sleeve and released a shaky breath to calm herself.

"How did you know about it?" she asked once her voice returned to a relative norm.

He tossed the unused leaves into the water and she watched them float away with the current. "My mother taught me when I was very young," was all he said.

She remembered Kannika's words about his mother. She lived in a castle high above the clouds, and there was a coldness between them.

Octavia wondered why.

"Were you close to her?" she asked.

". . . She was my mother."

He said it so matter-of-factly.

 _Was_.

If she was still alive, why had he used the past tense to refer to her?

". . . What happened?"

His expression gave nothing away and he rose to stand. Her eyes followed him and she swallowed.

"You wanted to bathe," he stated, "Do so."

She shifted her gaze downward and smiled sadly. She hadn't really expected him to tell her. "What about the leaves?" she prompted, glancing back at her covered injury.

"They work briskly. Now proceed. I will keep watch."

Her eyes shot wide. "That won't be necessary—"

"Do you enjoy fending off starving youkai and lascivious men? My mere presence here will serve as protection."

"Fine," she scowled, crossing her arms, "But don't look."

He snorted and made his way towards a large tree trunk. "Don't be ridiculous."

_Rude._

Scowl deepening, she waited for him to sit down on the other side of the tree trunk before undressing and sliding into the water. It was freezing. Moving to try for some warmth, she cursed herself for taking steaming hot baths for granted. She would rather have a cold bath than this, she thought as her foot touched something on the riverbed and she floundered in fright.

"Never bathed in such lowly conditions?" Sesshoumaru's voice taunted.

"Shut up."

He made a sound that seemed like a snort to her ears, but maybe the temperature of the water was just making her delirious. Scrubbing at herself, desperately wishing for soap, she watched the night claiming the sky and chasing the remaining strips of light away. Cicadas began clicking and she ducked her head underneath the water, then wrung as much of the dampness out with her hands.

"I thought you said that you couldn't use your light whip?" she said over the rhythmic clicking.

He was silent for a moment, then replied with, "It came as a surprise to me too."

"Can you use it now?"

". . . No."

She leaned her head against the bank and pondered over the peculiarity of it. She wondered why he had been able to access it one moment, but then could not in the next. Had the curse's grasp on him loosened enough for him to regain the ability, or had he simply managed to break through with his strength and will?

They had fallen prey to a strange force of magic.

"I'm getting out now," she announced, "So don't even think about looking."

"You are rather confident of your physical appeal," Sesshoumaru responded, and her mouth opened in shock at the remark. "Are you that eager to be seen?"

"I am  _not_ ," she argued, and climbed up onto the bank to redress.

"I beg to differ."

Finishing tying the obi around her waist, she cringed as the wetness from her body dampened the kimono. Squeezing her hair again, she slid her feet into the sandals and made her way over to Sesshoumaru.

"You are the narcissist out of the two of us," she stated, and he smirked.

"Your little display on the horse earlier would suggest otherwise," he said, and she flushed at the memory.

God, how embarrassing could she be? In the moment, she had thought her show of strength would entice him, but he had just found it hilarious.

Stupid, typical, arrogant Taiyoukai.

"Well, I did most of the arse-kicking. So there."

"Indeed."

His eyes were laughing at her and she coloured up, humiliated. She had always hated being laughed at.

"Once I get my magic back," she declared as he rose, "I am going to burn your other hand."

"Feel free to try, for you will not receive another chance."

Her eyes narrowed and she wore an almost smile. "We'll see about that." She went to make her way back to the village, but stopped when she realised he wasn't following her.

"Why are you just standing there?"

"I must also bathe," he stated.

_Oh._

"Do you . . . want me to keep watch?"

His smirk reappeared and his eyes glinted. "To see you hit another pitiful creature with a bucket? Go back to the village, human."

The cheek of him.

Surprisingly, she grinned in turn and reached to brush her fingers across the closed wound on her shoulder. "Have it your way," she shrugged and began walking back to the trees. The aura Sesshoumaru emitted now was different to when he had followed her, it was lighter and less threatening. The peculiar tension between them was also gone, and she smiled to herself as she strode along the tree roots curling up from the ground like arms.

.

.

They left the village the next day, or rather, she left, since Sesshoumaru had not returned after they parted ways at the river. He emerged from the trees once she came walking up the slope and she jogged to catch up with him. He looked cleaner, she thought, but he was still wearing that torn up shirt.

"Here," she offered him his outer haori that he'd given her, "The Priest offered you new clothes too if you ever came back."

He accepted the haori and slid his arms into it. "I do not need anything from them." He wasn't wearing armour, she realised then. He hadn't been since yesterday. Perhaps the damage done to it from the Oni capture had rendered it useless, so he'd discarded it.

He looked . . . bare without it.

"My shoulder is better," she said.

He didn't look at her. "Naturally."

"Thank you."

"You have thanked me a lot as of late, considering that you do not share my opinions on most things."

That was true, she had thanked him a considerable amount lately.

"I might not see eye to eye with you on certain things, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the kindness. You didn't have to give it to me."

"It was a matter of decency," he stated, "I cannot have you wandering around dressed like a common whore."

Her brows creased. "Where I come from, there are less strict attitudes on what women choose to wear."

"You all parade around half-naked, do you? Stealing eyefuls of each another whilst bathing?" His tone was mocking and she rolled her eyes.

"People are less oppressed and discriminated. Things aren't perfect, but . . . they're better."

"Hmm."

Clouds flowered across the pastel sky and the air was surprisingly fresh. Octavia felt much cooler in the thin summer kimono, though she did yearn for better footwear. They marched along the roads and fields, heading farther and farther north. Sesshoumaru was quiet as they walked, but the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one. He led the way, raven hair blowing in the wind as she trailed behind and took in the landscapes.

Feudal Japan was stunning.

The scenery was wild and unpolluted—vibrant deep green and dazzling in the light of the sun—and the wildlife was incredible. Exotic birds and mammals roamed the lands and she observed them curiously, taking in their vivid colours. Any observational painting in this era would be effortlessly bewitching, the beauty natural and untouched by man. The sun warmed the landscape and gave it a light golden glow, and she smiled at the breathtaking views from steep heights.

Clearing endless valleys and craggy cliffsides, her feet ached terribly and she grimaced at the sight of another steep hill. It might look picturesque, but it was hardly an even road to walk.

Sesshoumaru spoke up then and she turned her gaze to him. "Over this hill, you will see a city. It is a demon city. A glamour is cast over it so no human passer-by could simply stumble upon it accidentally."

"Why are we going there?"

"The city is situated between two mountains. Cutting through is the fastest route to the coast, unless you would prefer to trek through a mountain range?"

Glancing down at her sore feet, she shook her head. "Okay. But if it's a city for youkai, won't I be . . . unwelcome?"

"They will simply assume that you are my servant."

The carts of prisoners flashed into her mind then, and she thought of the Oni that were capturing them to sell. Was slavery such a norm for youkai? Did  _Sesshoumaru_  condone it? She hadn't thought to ask after the ordeal.

"When the Oni captured us," she started, "Where were they going to take us?" He didn't meet her gaze, but something in his eyes made a thought rise in her head.

"Do they . . . sell slaves in this city we are going to?"

His expression soured at the question. "Slavery is illegal in my lands. Anyone caught disobeying that law is to suffer the consequences of doing so. Those fools received what they deserved when we finished them."

That made her feel relieved, and suddenly an idea sparked and she voiced it.

"You're going to investigate," she realised, "You think this city practices that trade even with the laws against it."

One corner of his mouth curved up ever so slightly.

"You can use your brain, after all, it seems."

She grinned, knowing that that was as close to a compliment she would get from him. Her confidence in him risen, she followed him up the hill and watched as a city appeared over it, like a veil had been lifted.


	22. Liberated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter after this one hints at a huge future plot point so be sure to pay attention to what happens as you wait for it all to unfold. More light will eventually be shed on Octavia and the power inside of her, as well as how she ties into the prophecy about the fall of demon kind. It will do you well to remember the story about the Four God Stars, because that also plays a massive part in the grand scheme of things. So until all that is revealed, I hope you enjoy guessing as you read ;)

The city was called Ebisu, named after the God of labour and luck, and it was utterly magnificent. It sat in the gap between two huge mountains and spanned out for miles. There was no telling how big it was, or what they would find there.

Octavia stayed stood at the top of the hill even when Sesshoumaru started to walk down it, her eyes fixated on the view. Her eyes took in the sight and she felt a surge of giddiness shoot through her. The things she had seen whilst trapped in the past where sublime and glimmering with marvel. Australia, France, Greece . . . They were each beautiful in their own right, but they were nothing compared to the bold brilliance of this land. She almost felt like crying the more she looked at the colossal mountain range on either side of the city, and sucked in a deep breath of clean, uncontaminated air.

"It cannot be very impressive where you come from if you admire simple sights like this," Sesshoumaru commented and she lowered her head to look down at him.

Smiling, she shook her head. "You're wrong. You're so wrong."

"There is nothing special about what you see now."

The breeze caught their hair and she felt strands of her own ghosting across her cheeks. "Maybe it seems that way to you because you've been looking it at like that for so long."

His eyes narrowed and she rolled her eyes.

" _Beauty itself doth of itself persuade the eyes of men without an orator_."

He stared at her like she'd just called him names in Welsh again, and she laughed.

"It's a Shakespeare quote. It means that beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"And what is a 'shake spear'?"

She giggled harder and eased down the hill after him. "He was a man who wrote poetry and plays. Well, actually I suppose he could still be alive in this time period."

"I have never heard of his man."

"You wouldn't have. He lived in . . . someplace far away."

Cursing herself for her slip-ups, what Sesshoumaru said next really alarmed her.

"Totosai claimed that you were from another world," he said, "A world many years beyond this one." She bit the inside of her cheek as he carried on and tried to prevent her face from giving anything away. "Inuyasha seems to believe this as well, that you and his woman are from a world of the future. He told me that he had traveled there, that he had seen it. Is he honest, or is it simply deluded fool's talk?"

Would it destroy time if she told him? Would telling him somehow impact her future and send it all falling to ruin? Youkai didn't exist there—at least she had never seen any—and if she told him, he might try to do something about it . . . He might  _take_  the world for himself and his kind, and thus alter history.

She couldn't be responsible for that happening.

"I have no idea what he was talking about," she lied, trying to convey truth in her voice.

His eyes narrowed so much that they were practically slits, sinister and reptile-like. "The Miko used the dry well outside Inuyasha's village to travel to her home. A mere well . . . could transport her to wherever it was she came from. Tell me, human . . . Did you also come from that land?"

Octavia said nothing, afraid of her own tongue betraying her.

"What is through that passage?" he asked, voice quiet and probing, "Where is it that you  _came_  from?"

"I can't tell you!"

He stopped, features dangerous.

"Why not?"

She stared at him, defiance blazing in her own features. "Because telling you could  _destroy_  my home. The subject is too delicate. And dangerous."

"Inuyasha knows the truth."

"Inuyasha would not  _slaughter_  every human in Japan because of the knowledge!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes shone perilously and she wondered if she'd made a mistake saying that. Now he knew that whatever she was hiding through that well could prompt him to destroy humanity. Would him knowing that have a negative effect on history?

She hoped to God that it wouldn't.

Eerily, he said no more and simply continued towards Ebisu. Staring at his retreating figure, Octavia could not help but feel she had made a terrible mistake.

.

.

Sesshoumaru contemplated her words as they entered through Ebisu's main gates.

He would slaughter every human in Japan if he knew, she had said. What would drive him to go to such an extreme? Humans were insignificant and puny, hardly a threat to anyone but themselves.

Whatever the girl was hiding in that mysterious well in Musashi . . . he vowed to unearth.

She trailed behind him, sulking somewhat, and he smirked. He was no longer so concerned for her safety after her feat against the human bandits. He had teased her for it, but the reality was that he had been moderately impressed. For a human, her performance had been above adequate, and the ease she had brawled with the men had been refreshingly entertaining. Her movements were in no way majorly skilled, but there had been a simplicity in her fighting that made her so successful.

He wondered what she could accomplish if she was properly trained, and armed with more than a bucket and a farming pitchfork.

The youkai of Ebisu were astonishingly tolerant of her, some even being what Sesshoumaru would class as  _pleasant_. They conversed with her freely and offered her silks and trinkets, instead of merely ignoring her like he had expected them to. It was her aura, he decided as she was stopped by a trader retailing jewellery. She was completely unaware of it, but her aura drew others in like honey, intoxicating them. Even with the block on her magic, he could still feel the undeniable pull of her, despite how he resisted it.

It was the same as the Shikon no tama, attracting people from great distances because they were seduced by its power.

She was dangerous, he decided.

He needed her for whatever new threat was rising, but  _she_  could very well prove to be even more dangerous.

His court had not been impressed by her presence in the castle initially, but soon they were all falling under her spell. Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un had completely fallen—Cyril and Koga as well—and Sesshoumaru doubted it would be long after their return before the rest of the castle did too. He wondered if he could use her to keep them all in line; to put an end to Kanetsugu's insolence.

They ventured deeper into the city, her admiring the unimpressive sights like usual.

_Beauty itself doth of itself persuade the eyes of men without an orator._

What a ridiculous man that playwright must have been.

Standing as the girl examined a kitsune's flower painting on the cobblestones, Sesshoumaru examined the crowds for suspicious activity. He studied the passerbys carefully, calculating their expressions and stances. His Black Inu form gave him an advantage here at least. He had invisibility, therefore making it easier to spy crime. He would have been recognised instantly if not for the curse, and the hideous slave traders would remain in business.

Something caught his attention through the hustling of buyers and his senses sharpened.

"Human," he beckoned, and she stood.

"What?" she asked.

Refining his vision, he concentrated on what had caught his attention and resisted the urge to growl when he spotted one of the human-faced trolls.

"Stay close to me," he ordered, then strode out into the crowd with her behind him. They trailed the troll through the crowds, maintaining a careful distance to prevent it from noticing their pursuit. The human was surprisingly quick on her feet and managed to keep up with him even in those foolish sandals.

Stopping at the edge of the marketplace abruptly, the troll glimpsed behind him then snuck through a gap in the cliff. Reaching the opening in the rock, Sesshoumaru peered down into the narrow passageway. A cool air blew out from it and caressed his face. Its touch was repulsive and ominous.

The human looked into the chasm and touched the cold rock of its entrance.

"Are we going down there?" she asked quietly.

He contemplated leaving her there, but decided against it. She would be no safer on her own in a demon market, and from what he had seen when she fought the bandits . . . she could hold her own if necessary.

"Do not allow yourself to be grabbed," he warned, "You are small and fast, but if someone larger than you were to get a hold of you, you would not escape."

She nodded, absorbing the advice and seeming somewhat surprised by it.

He continued, "Aim for their knees if you can. Throw off their balance. And remember that the throat is easier to pierce than the torso."

Reaching into her obi, he withdrew the sword that the princess had given to her and placed it in her hand. It shone with a dormant fire—the Phoenix feather inside—and she looked into his eyes and he saw her throat bob as she swallowed. He stepped into the gap in the mountain then and she followed, holding the sword tightly at her side. Water dripped from the ceiling of the fissure and dampened their clothes, making little popping sounds as they splashed down onto the damp rock.

She came to a halt when a terrible smell filled the chasm, and he heard her breath catch.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" she whispered, "There's two of us and who knows how many of them. Should we really be sneaking in on our own like this?"

"You suggest that I should abandon my subjects, even with your constant talk of glory and heroism?"

"Not  _abandon_ , just come back with backup. I can't use my magic, Sesshoumaru, and even if I could I wouldn't be any help—"

He cut her off. "Calm yourself. Your fear is making you doubt your capabilities. Whatever their numbers are, they stand no chance at victory against me. Bakusaiga will crush them in one blow." Her expression was still twisted into an anxious grimace, so he added, "That is if they survive you chasing them with a bucket first."

Appreciating the joke, her frown faded and she breathed a small laugh and nodded. She lifted the sword in her hand and gripped it, waiting for him to carry on down the passage.

He drew Bakusaiga and continued walking, feeling moisture gathering on his face from the wet ceiling. The crevice went on for a considerable distance, leading them deeper and deeper into the mountain. If slavery was at work here, then this would be the perfect hiding place to hide their stock.

Navigating through the narrow space was considerably easier without his pelt, he noticed, and although he missed it he was glad for the advantage.

The smell grew stronger the deeper they ventured—stifling and unpleasant. Like sweat. When it became almost too unbearable for his sensitive nose, the fissure widened and he saw an exit at last. It opened up into a cavern of sorts within the mountain, and Sesshoumaru shifted towards it slowly. The human's footfalls were remarkably quiet behind him, bar from the occasional stumble or so, and he praised her mentally. They crept towards the opening and peered out into the giant cave . . .

Cages packed the cavern and the human's pulse quickened at what was inside them.

Humans and youkai alike were in ropes and chains, clad in only tatty white rags and layers of dirt. Unsurprisingly, the trolls with human faces were in charge, and several large ogres were patrolling around the captives. The prisoners looked beaten and drained of all will to fight and they were like lifeless statues in their enclosures. The human's eyes were glued to them and shining with building tears. A few of the children were crying, he realised, likely separated from their mothers and fathers.

Acts like these filled Sesshoumaru with an ungodly rage, and he had to convince himself not to lunge forward and tear them all to pieces.

He scanned the cavern and spotted various passageways in the rock leading out, but there was no way of telling whether they led to dead ends or not. They also would not be wide enough for the bigger prisoners to escape through.

A larger exit was at the other end of the cave, certainly huge enough for them all to flee through. But the biggest issue was how to liberate them from their confinement. If he used Bakusaiga to kill the traders, the slaves themselves could be injured. There was also the fact that they were deep beneath the ground, and he didn't know how strong the ceiling above them was.

"Sesshoumaru," the human whispered, "Have you ever been caving?"

His brows creased and he looked at her. "What?"

Determination was written across her features, and he wondered briefly from looking at her if she'd had an idea.

Her otherworldly knowledge was providing to be remarkably useful.

"Well," she explained, keeping her voice low, "We can't get them all out through that big exit. It'll be heavily guarded since they probably bring them all in through there."

"So surely that is the most direct means of escape."

She shook her head. "Always take the road less traveled."

His eyes narrowed and he leaned straighter against the rock, trying to conceal himself from sight. "What kind of ridiculous proverb is that?"

She didn't seem impressed and sighed softly. "Look at the other tunnels. Some are natural but the others have been made. You can tell by the looking at them which ones are which."

She was right. From studying the rock of all the fissures, there were clearly ones that had been manmade and ones that were not. He was surprised she had noticed that.

"If you can distract the merchants," she went on, "I can free the prisoners and get them out through the passages."

"And what of the ones that will not fit through them?"

"They can stay and help you, or leave through the bigger exit. There aren't that many keeping guard down here. You could easily overpower them with help."

His eyes gleamed.

"So I am to be your diversion?"

Her expression was gravely serious and a dangerous smirk made its way onto his face.

"How do you construct these schemes, hm?" he asked, and she smiled.

"I read a lot of books."

She was full of surprises. And astonishingly resourceful for a human. He wondered how she was planning to open the cages and free them from their chains, when a commotion sounded from the giant entrance to the cavern.

The Oni were dragging in a large boar youkai that was almost twice the size of them. How they imagined they were going to sell that as a servant to someone was beyond Sesshoumaru. It thrashed and roared loudly as they seized it—their attention now fixed on subduing it—and Sesshoumaru knew it was the right time to act.

"Now," he hissed, and slinked out from the opening towards the closest cage. Making quick work of the lock, it opened with ease and he broke several of their chains with his claws. The prisoners copied his action and began freeing each other, and soon they had emptied out of the enclosure.

The girl directed them to one of the crevices and they fled. She flashed him a dazzling smile of victory as they did, then darted towards another cage. Some of the prisoners from the first one had stayed behind and helped her destroy the padlocks, successfully releasing more of their brethren.

Sesshoumaru turned away and made his way towards the gathering of slave masters that were swarming the boar youkai. They noticed him instantly and moved to overcome him as well, but they met Bakusaiga before they could even come close to reaching him. The burst of power threw them back and they disintegrated to dust. The ones that hadn't been slain seemed discouraged by the view of their comrade's ashes on the ground, and Sesshoumaru bared his fangs in a murderous snarl.

The boar burst free then and trampled some of them, and Sesshoumaru sprung back out of its way. He glimpsed the human a distance away, watching him intently as the prisoners rushed out through the tunnels. Her eyes were lit with anguish and he waited for her to escape with them.

His eyes conveyed his message and her mouth drifted closed, eyes simmering silently. She gave him one final stare before clambering into one of the fissures and scampering away. With her gone, Sesshoumaru turned back to the trolls and ogres and narrowed his eyes menacingly. He raised his sword and delivered another emerald blow, eliminating even more of them.

The youkai too large to escape through the tunnels had not remained to assist him like she had said. They'd all run through the wider exit and left him there to fight alone, even the enormous boar that had made the liberation possible.

They would have just been in his way if they'd stayed.

Pointing Bakusaiga at one of the trolls, his eyes bled red out of killing intent and he summoned the power from within the blade. He was about to unleash it . . . when an abundance of ropes caught him from behind.

Ready to tear through them and deliver the blast, energy shot through the ropes and ravaged his body, causing him to roar in shocked agony. Dark red electricity flowed out through the ropes drained his strength, and he slowly sunk to his knees and cried out in startled pain . . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shiiit what's goin onnnn


	23. Beast-lover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said in the notes for the last chapter, there are huge clues to a future plot here so pay extra close attention to the information you read. This chapter may also push forward Sesshoumaru and Octavia's relationship a little... Enjoy reading!

Octavia felt sick as she emerged from underneath the mountain and back into the city. The slaves were all free but there were no celebratory festivities in her heart.

Sesshoumaru remained down there in the monster's belly and she had left him there. He had wanted her to go, she'd known that from staring into his eyes, but now he was alone and fighting. Fighting for his people, against what abused and oppressed them.

Her throat felt clogged and she gazed into the crevice from which she came, hypnotized. The hustle of the marketplace had stopped once the prisoners came from under the mountain and some of them watched her as she stood statuesque by the crack in the rock.

 _Go to him_ , her heart beckoned.

Something tugged at her soul and she remembered the feeling from before she had come to this world. The pull of the well, drawing her in, ensnaring her. It was there again, whispering in her thoughts and urging her on.

_Come._

She wasn't a warrior. Or a hero. And yet she still felt compelled to return to the deep underground to him. Her veins hummed with a gentle fizz and she could feel an energy of sorts crackling in the palms of her hands. She couldn't deny the feeling that something was happening down there—something he  _needed_  her for. She might not be a warrior, but she wasn't going to leave him in a tomb of the earth, shrouded in darkness while she basked in the sun.

They were supposed to go to Namida together.

The two of them, so they could recover what they lost. She couldn't do it without him, and the cool air blowing out from the fissure onto her cheeks reminded her of the sea breeze at his castle.

Rin and the others were waiting for them. And there was still the mystery of the prophecy to decipher.

"You'll go to him, won't you?" a voice asked, and she turned to the blue-scaled youkai standing behind her. His eyes were forest green and he was clad in the torn robes that the slave masters had forced them to wear.

She tilted her head sideward. "What makes you think that?"

His gaze was solemn and caught her off-guard. The majority of the youkai she had met so far concealed their emotions, so seeing the raw openness of this one's face made her expression soften.

"I can see it," he answered, "You would not forsake him."

"Even though I'm human?"

He shook his head, scales glinting in the daylight. "Your humanity  _ensures_  that you would never abandon him. A lot of your kind forget that, the thing that makes them human. They forget their mercy and compassion and become violent and greedy, but not you. Your heart is brimming with goodness."

Moved by his words, Octavia's smile turned genuine and she turned back towards the rock opening.

Breathing deeply, she redrew the Phoenix Sword and leaped back into the tunnel.

Guttural roars savaged her ears as she descended and she winced at the sounds of agony. Running faster, she ducked under low parts of the ceiling and heard the sound of splashing from her feet in the shallow water pouring down the path. Pushing her hair out of her face with her free hand, she finally reached the cavern the slaves had been held captive in and came out into it, the pained snarling at its strongest there.

Her eyes shot wide and she gasped at the sight of Sesshoumaru on the ground, held by strange, enchanted ropes. Red electricity pulsed through them and weakened him. The aura the ropes emitted chilled her to the core and she shifted her gaze to the one holding them.

A woman stood there, forcing Sesshoumaru to his knees, and Octavia studied her with rage boiling in her chest. The woman—human, she noted—had black hair that was fastened back into a tight bun, and her face was stern, her eyes severe. She wore golden robes with a strange crest on the front of them.

Three figures reaching up towards a glowing stone.

There was something about it that Octavia found familiar, though she was certain she had never seen the emblem before.

Forcing the feeling away, she lifted her sword and gathered her courage. The woman noticed her presence then and turned her head to regard her. Her eyes were dark and frightening, soulless and like ink. The remaining trolls and Oni shifted their focus onto her as well and she swallowed thickly. They seemed in a sort of trance, frozen by the strange woman's command.

Sesshoumaru remained trapped in his kneeling position, bound with the horrible ropes that were sucking the energy from him.

"Oh. Look at  _you_ ," the woman cooed, her voice taunting and sickly sweet. "Aren't you precious?"

Octavia hardened her voice. "Let him go." Those three cliché words every heroine said at least once in the book. Five hundred years in the past and she couldn't even think to be original.

Sesshoumaru stilled at the sound of her voice and craned his head as best as he could to look at her. She held his gaze, panic flooding her system at seeing him like that. His expression was twisted with agony and she glared at the woman who was doing it to him fiercely.

"Let him . . .  _go_?" she parroted, "You are a funny creature." Her voice was like strident and like suffocating thick treacle. Octavia felt like she was being violated the longer she looked at her.

"I won't ask again," she warned, breath catching at the menace in the woman's eyes.

She simply let out a throaty laugh and tightened the rope around Sesshoumaru's neck. "Isn't this hilarious, beast? Your whore has come to save you. That makes you quite the damsel, doesn't it?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes were dark vermillion and he bared his teeth. Octavia's heart hammered restlessly and she flinched when he keeled over in pain again. This wasn't the Sesshoumaru she knew. Nothing could restrain him, certainly not a few bindings like these. The red energy searing from them was troublesome though. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to have the likes of Sesshoumaru bent on his knees and howling in torture.

"What is your name, beast-lover? I would like to know it as I watch you watch your demon die."

Octavia clamped her teeth down on her tongue and a metallic taste erupted into her mouth. She trembled where she stood, the sword in her hand visibly shaking, and hated herself for it. Why couldn't she be brave? Just once, why couldn't she be something other than afraid?

Sesshoumaru was brave. He never stood helpless to do anything whilst someone suffered in front of him. She kept her eyes locked on him and felt her lips quiver.

"Did you not hear me?" the woman questioned, her voice grating on Octavia's unsettled nerves and inspiring anger. "Speak—"

" _Hana_."

The woman chuckled hoarsely again and Octavia prayed that she wouldn't be able to detect her lie.

Hana had been the name of a girl she'd known when she first moved to Wales. She still vividly remembered the girl's flaming red hair and bright eyes, her image permanently engraved into her brain. Octavia had met her when she'd first arrived in Cardiff, but she had died not long after in a traffic accident. Everybody always died in those kinds of accidents. Yet nobody ever tried to do anything to prevent them from happening so much.

"Hana," the woman repeated the name, caressing it with her tongue, " _Flower_. Fitting that a beast should be responsible for your wilting."

Octavia only frowned harder.

"I am Asuka. Second to the Commander of the Iwa Faction. Our sole purpose in this world is to eliminate all of demonkind, and you have yourself a front row seat!"

The  _Iwa Faction_? What was that? Some kind of demon exterminating group?

Asuka moved closer towards Sesshoumaru and Octavia cried out.

" _Stop_!"

Amusement was present in Asuka's features as she tilted her head, but repulsion was there as well.  _Beast-lover_ , she'd called her. These people regarded youkai in the light of monsters, which certainly wasn't true for all of them. Monsters existed everywhere, youkai and human alike. Sometimes thoughts or feelings could be monsters, gnawing away at your heart.

Sesshoumaru was not a monster.

"I am asking you . . . ," she pleaded, "Begging you . . . Don't do this."

Asuka shook her head, disdain rolling out from her like smoke. "You truly have been corrupted. You poor thing. Do not cry for this animal, his death will free you from the spell binding you."

Something snapped deep inside of Octavia and she stopped shaking. Lowering her sword, a strange force pushed out from her and startled Asuka, causing her to freeze where she stood. Her eyes growing wide with horror, Octavia inched closer, not quite herself, and stopped mere centimeters from Asuka's face. She stared into her formerly lethal eyes and raised her chin.

_This is the power I can grant you, Okteviah._

Her eyes bled mauve and an inky purple light shone from her skin.

Asuka screamed as the power threw her, and she let go of the ropes. The crimson electricity ceased and Sesshoumaru panted heavily at being released. Lifting his head, his eyes were still blood red as he met Octavia's thistle pools. Something had broken open in her and set the waves of ghostly power free. It rippled along her skin and warmed her veins as the voice continued to whisper to her.

 _Kill them_ , it urged.  _Kill them all._

She realised its wish and vaporised the demon ogres and trolls with human faces. Slave masters. Vermin. The scum of the world. They shattered apart in an instant by her hand and hung in the air like spectral ashy clouds of dust.

Finished with them, Octavia rediverted her attention to Asuka and leaned her head to the side as she stared down at her with flickering violet eyes. Sesshoumaru moved to his feet clumsily, badly affected by the ropes, but Octavia kept her gaze fixed on the brute that had done that to him.

" _Impossible_ ," Asuka spat from the ground, "Of all the women on this earth, it cannot be a  _beast_ -lover whom he seeks."

Octavia lifted her foot and pressed it into Asuka's stomach, grinding her heel into her. The words didn't process in her mind because she only saw the abyssal blackness. Swirling dark, enveloping her in its arms like a blanket and filling her with powerful influence. She felt on fire, drugged by its kisses and warmed by its embrace. She burned like a growing ember, hungry and stretching tall to envelop everything in flames.

_It feels good, does it not?_

"I will not die here!" Asuka hissed, "He would never allow that to happen . . . Especially—especially now that I've found  _you_!"

Fully prepared to crush her with only her foot, Octavia paused when a sudden surge of pain shot through her chest.

It blossomed at the center of her ribcage and grew out like a plant, filling her with poison.

Choking on her own lungs, Octavia stumbled away from Asuka and felt her eyeballs burning. She closed them and scrubbed at them with her hands wildly, trying to dig out the toxicity. A fire burned in them and when she reopened them they were wholly black.

Sesshoumaru made a move towards her but Asuka used Octavia's state to lurch at him, and plunged a blade from her waist into his shoulder. He grunted and let out a bloodcurdling howl, screeching furiously and trying to fight back. Whatever demon repelling energy had been in the ropes, it had weakened him ridiculously. Asuka used this and drew another knife from her boot then plunged it into his chest.

She only narrowly missed his heart.

Light bloomed in the midst of the poison in Octavia's chest and she sucked in breaths of oxygen greedily. Gathering herself, she saw Asuka's assault on him and leaped at her, but she failed to grab her. Asuka landed in a fighting stance and Octavia held the Phoenix Sword at her, her breathing strained. Sesshoumaru reached for his own blade but his strength was too depleted, and he collapsed to the ground at her feet.

A victorious grin broke out on Asuka's treacherous face, and she started shifting closer when Octavia screeched at her.

" _Stay back!_ " she screamed, moving to stand in front of his collapsed body, "Stay back or I'll kill you, I swear! Don't even try to touch him!"

Asuka's eyes flickered to the sword in her hands and she examined it, intrigued. Octavia kept it pointed at her and sucked in air raggedly, feeling her own legs weakening. The light was still shimmering along her skin faintly, and Asuka's expression was strange as she stared at her.

"A Phoenix feather resides in your blade," she remarked finally. "Interesting."

Aware of her every move, Octavia's glare was murderous as she threatened Asuka with it, and finally, the woman's lips curved up into a smirk. Octavia was exhausted. She could feel her knees giving way. But she wouldn't stand down to this woman. The fear she'd felt before had been replaced with a fierce resolve to protect Sesshoumaru from her, because despite what he claimed, he  _was_  her friend.

He was her friend and she would rather die herself than allow him to be slaughtered by the likes of this ruthless woman.

"We will meet again, beast-lover. That is a promise."

And with that final promise, she disappeared quite completely, leaving nothing but tiny sparkling lights which eventually faded as she had, leaving nothing.

Octavia sunk to the floor, supporting herself with her sword and panting. Sesshoumaru was frighteningly quiet beside her so she abandoned the sword to pull his head onto her lap and cradled his battered face. This was her fault, she thought with a whimper, it was all her fault. This had only happened to him because she'd showed up at his camp one night, lost and disoriented. Because of her, he'd been transformed into a weaker breed of InuYoukai and was stuck on a dreary quest with her . . .

Because of her . . . he was laid unconscious in her lap, maybe  _dying_.

"Sesshoumaru?" she whispered, her voice brittle. "Sesshoumaru? Can you hear me?"

Glancing around the cavern for somewhere she could lie him, she wound her arms underneath his arms and carefully dragged him towards a naturally formed dugout in the rock.

Laying him there, brushing his hair out of his face, she bit her lip.

"Sesshoumaru? . . . Please . . . Wake  _up_."

He didn't respond.

Pressing her ear to his chest, she listened for a heartbeat. It was faint, but still there. Relieved, she studied the knives stuck in him and contemplated how to pull them out. They looked to be in pretty deep, meaning he would just bleed out if she removed them right away. He might even need stitches if they were bad enough—no, he would definitely need stitches.

She pulled open the folds of his haori and gasped at the scorch marks on his flesh. From the ropes, she realised. He needed water, and medicine, and ointments—

" _Octavia_ ,"

Her name on his lips echoed throughout the cavern and she knelt above him, wide-eyed.

His voice was raspy and he groaned, his face twisting in pain. She called his name again and he forced his eyes open. She stared into them, tears welling up in her own. Blood soaked his clothing and now her hands, and she smeared it on his face as she lifted them and touched his cheeks.

He had never said her name before.

She shifted to move, "I need to get help—"

" _No_ , no help."

"Sesshoumaru, you have  _knives_  in your chest and I can't patch the wounds myself if I take them out. Your skin is charred with burns and feels like lava. I have to do someth—"

"Octavia,  _please_."

His voice was choked and a sob tore through her throat. "Then what am I supposed to do? Watch you  _die_? If you won't let them help you, let  _me_. Tell me what to do. Just please let me help you . . . I don't want you to die."

"I would . . . be very alarmed if you  _wanted_  me to die."

She breathed a teary laugh and dried her damp eyes. Blood from her hands transferred onto her cheeks and he stared up at her. His expression was odd, but she blamed that on the delirium and blood loss.

"What do I do?" she asked, and he sighed in defeat, coughing roughly.

"There . . ." he wheezed, "Is a flower that grows underground near water. Blue petals and orange thorns . . . Grind it into a paste . . . and rub it onto the burns."

She nodded frantically. "What about the knife wounds?"

"My body will heal . . . will heal those on its own once you remove them. They are not magically . . . enchanted . . . like the ropes were."

She felt a swell of relief at the fact that she didn't have to stitch his wounds. With her poor sewing abilities, she would have definitely made them so much worse. But as for the flower, if it grew near water, where would she find water here?

The droplets falling from the ceilings of the passages and the shallow streams flowing through them shot into her thoughts. Somewhere under this mountain, there had to be a source of water. If she could just find that flower, she could cure him of whatever he was suffering from.

"I'm going to fix you," she assured, "I promise. Don't move too much until I come back, okay?"

She moved to stand again only he caught her wrist. His grip was weak and she could have easily torn her hand away, but she kept it there. She waited for him to choke out something else before she began her navigation of the underground tunnels, and wiped the clamminess from his brow with her sleeve as she did.

"Octavia . . ." he breathed again, making her pulse quicken at the use of her name, then stared straight into her eyes with a severe expression. ". . . Speak of this to no one. Ever."

Her mouth curved into a smile and she patted his hand gently.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed."


	24. Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comments have been so good lately!!! I'm super glad you all enjoyed the last chapter :D This one here is a personal favourite of mine so I hope you enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed writing it! Keep on continuing to comment and I'll keep delivering with more chapters hehe~
> 
> Also, because I'm an idiot and forgot to properly clarify this in the actual fic, I'll explain a bit to you about how Octavia knows the selection of languages she does.
> 
> Her first language is obviously **English** , given that she grew up in London. She is nearly fluent in both **Greek** and **Japanese** because she took it upon herself to learn them due to being prompted by her family tree (which is extremely confusing and muddy, as you'll see later once we go into it in more depth). Any **Welsh** she knows is limited and has been picked up from living in Cardiff, where she went to university. She really only knows insults lmao
> 
> Octavia is not White British, she's Greek, with very distant Japanese ties. How this is possible will also be explained later and ties in very closely to the larger plot.
> 
> Remember Asuka from the previous chapter? She mentioned something called the **Iwa Faction**. Remember that name because that is so so so important, especially in regards to Octavia and her ambiguous past. You might be quite shocked actually once you find out more of what's going on, because everything you've read so far is working towards a much larger picture. You might not expect how everything ends up tying together...
> 
> Someone also asked how Sesshoumaru knows English, but I can't actually tell you the answer to that because because it would be a spoiler ;) It will be addressed later though, as well as how he knows Mandarin, so don't forget about it!
> 
> Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion if there was any :') Don't forget to leave a comment if you have any questions or just want to leave one with your thoughts. And with the rambling finally aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter!!

Darting through the underground passages with a lamp she'd salvaged from the wreckage, Octavia searched for the medicinal flower. Her heart thumped with worry and something else she didn't recognise. She kept picturing Sesshoumaru there on the ground, crying out and held down by ropes. Like an animal caught in a trap.

She could still hear her name on his lips.

He must be considerably unhinged to go so far as to call her by it.

He had never called her by her name before.

Ever.

It was always just human, or girl, or something else that suggested she was just a pest in his presence. But not this time.

The way he'd said it had been so desperate and filled with affliction.

She bit the inside of her cheek and quickened her pace. Water flowed along the floor of the passage she was following and the sound of dripping echoed as she strode through it. Hurrying down the way, she thought of the voice she'd heard in her head.

She couldn't fully recall what had happened after the darkness had taken her, and what had seemed so alluring then now frightened her. This time hadn't been like the first time with the woodlouse youkai. Whatever had influenced her had  _spoken_  to her, like it was a living entity in her mind. Lulled her to sleep and promised her the power she wanted.

Fractured images came to her then. Memories. But they weren't hers.

There was dark purple smoke. A castle. And a man with venom-tinged crimson eyes. Strewn across his bare back was the mark of a spider—ugly and throbbing. Its legs curled around his body like it was holding him in a sinister embrace.

Suddenly, he sliced the top layer of flesh off with a blade, peeling the tattoo off like dry nail polish. The spider fell to the ground at his feet and shivered almost like it was alive. The man clenched his fists and looked down at the mess of bloody flesh with hate-filled eyes.

Octavia had never seen him before.

Ignoring the obscure images and squeezing her pounding temples, she stumbled and almost tripped over a raised part of rock.

Dropping the lamp, she quickly fell to her knees and stopped the flame from going out. On the ground, she saw that the streams of water had grown deeper, and when she lifted the light, a small underground spring greeted her eyes. She beamed at the foliage growing along the walls and around its edges, and searched quickly for the flower. Blue petals, orange thorns. She spotted a cluster and sighed happily, plucking some and holding them to her chest.

Gazing into the water before she left, she stared into her eyes. They were her own, but at the same time . . . they weren't. There was something off about them. Something she could not identify.

She shook away the feeling and made her way back to Sesshoumaru. He had obeyed her command and hadn't moved an inch. However, his eyes were closed and he was deadly still. For a moment she panicked, until his eyes opened and met hers across the cavern. The weight lifted from her chest and she hurried over to him.

Setting down the lamp beside him, she opened his haori and gently brushed her fingers across the marred flesh.

"Remove the knives first," he whispered, and she nodded.

Wrapping her fingers around the one in his shoulder, she met his eyes and gave him an apologetic look. She tried to rip it out quickly, but it was stuck fast, making removing it an extremely difficult task. He groaned in discomfort as she pulled, and finally, it was out. The wound closed quickly like he'd said and soon all that remained where it had been was dried blood.

"Are you all right?"

" _The other_ ," he practically hissed.

Moving to the one fastened in his chest, she hesitated. She then reached for his obi and tore off a strip, holding it to his mouth. "Bite this," she said, "I don't want you to accidentally bite your tongue."

He glared. "Why would I do that?"

"Obviously you wouldn't mean to."

His glare faded and he opened his mouth to accept the strip of material. Satisfied, she returned to the remaining blade and held its handle tightly. She tried to pull as hard as she could to make the process faster. Sesshoumaru's teeth clamped down on the cloth and he rumbled a loud muffled groan.

Soon that one was out too and she tossed it aside, watching as the skin closed again and the wound healed. He seemed to relax then and she breathed a sigh of belief. He spat out the piece of fabric and closed his eyes.

"How do I grind up the flowers?" she asked.

"Chew . . . them. They have to be merged with . . . saliva."

Her eyes went wide and she stammered, " _What_?"

"Saliva is a healing—"

"I know it is, I just didn't expect to have to drool all over you. Aren't you supposed to be the dog?" His eyes narrowed and she grinned. "Don't give me that look. Do I chew the petals or the thorns? Because I think the thorns might cut my mouth."

"Petals . . . The thorns are toxic."

He'd neglected to tell her that before.

She hoped the finger she'd pricked whilst picking them wouldn't swell up and fall off.

She tore off several petals and shoved them into her mouth. They tasted of nectar and rain—not a taste she had been expecting. Chewing them thoroughly until they were a mushy paste, she deposited the thick fluid into her open palm and grimaced at the foul aftertaste.

She thought she saw Sesshoumaru's mouth curve up into a smirk.

Gathering some of the mixture onto her fingers, she applied the ointment to his burns. He didn't cry out as she did, in fact he breathed out with reprieve. The remedy seemed to be working. She continued rubbing and chewing until all of his burns were covered, then wiped her hands clean on her kimono.

"Do you feel any better?" she asked softly, and he made a  _hmm_  sound in response. His eyes were still closed and she studied him in the lamplight. Shadows were cast across his face, mixing with the butterscotch orange light and making his skin appear as if it were made of gold. The stripes on his cheeks were softer in the tender light and she stared at his painted eyelids.

She regarded the empty space on his forehead where the crescent moon had been, and smiled before carefully placing a single blue petal there.

His eyelids slid open and he looked at her, curious. He reminded her more of a feline than he did a canine, his features wary and sharp. There was still a severity to his face even while he was in this state, and she smiled down at him.

The smile was raw and unhindered.

His gaze flickered between each of her eyes, searching for something.

Content that he was going to be all right, she shifted the lamp and laid down beside him. He watched her carefully, assessing her for a motive, and she carefully moved his hair out of her way. She stared into his eyes without indignity and absorbed the array of colours she saw in them. From a distance, they were harsh gold, but up close they were a blend of lemon, honey, and bronze. Flakes of daffodil yellow glimmered around his pupils, and she itched to fill the blank spaces where his eyes should be in her many drawings of him back at the castle.

Charcoal wouldn't be able to capture them fruitfully. It needed to be paint or chalk.

Something with colour.

". . . Now is not the time to be seducing me," he said quietly.

She laughed. "I'm not  _seducing_  you. I'm just looking at you."

"You are staring."

"I'm regarding."

"That is exactly the same thing."

"Are you shy, Sesshoumaru?" she teased, "Give it a rest. You know you're pleasant to look at, even when you're sickly. It's just a fact. You've got those cheekbones, those eyes . . . and looking at you makes a nice change from looking at myself."

". . . You are not unattractive."

She laughed again and turned so that she was laying on her back. "Now I know you're unwell."

She heard him smirk. " _Nĭ hăo sh_ _ă_."

"You know, I'm not quite sure I like this new insulting each other in different languages thing we've got going."

"How do you know I insulted you?"

She tilted her head to glance at him and gave him a smirk of her own. His eyes flared and he added, "I could say anything I wanted and you would remain clueless."

"I know more Greek than I do Welsh," she gloated, "I could too."

"I have never heard of either of those languages before."

"That doesn't mean they don't exist."

" _Méiyòng_ ,"

" _Poútsos_."

Strangely, another smile crept onto her face and she tucked her hair behind her ear. If he had enough energy to offend her in Mandarin, she knew he was going to be fine. She wondered why he knew the language in the first place, as well as English, but then supposed being a lord must have such demands. She wondered if he knew any other languages, and what they were.

Shifting her gaze, she reached out and lightly touched the petal on his forehead with her thumb.

His eyes followed her movement, shooting upward as her hand did.

Her thumb caressed the petal's softness then moved down to one of his strong arched brows. The dark hairs were coarse and thick, and she smoothed them carefully. She was studying the details of his face, memorising them so she could finally capture them on paper.

She wasn't sure why, but lately, she'd been hit with thoughts that there might come a day she would never see him again.

Once they solved the riddle of the prophecy and completed whatever their roles were in this narrative, what would happen? They owed each other nothing, and lived in different pockets of time, both which were so very far away from one another.

Eventually, the day would come when she would have to go home.

She bit her tongue and tried not to think about that day. The day she would leave Rin and everyone else she'd come to know in this wonderful fairytale world. The day the dream would finally end, and she would wake back to her old, dreary life where everything was cold and grey.

It was like a fist around her heart, and as Sesshoumaru looked at her with those trapping burning suns, she realised going back to that was what she feared the most.

 _I don't want to go back there_ , she whispered in her mind. To the voice that now chose to elude her.

_Please don't make me go back._

" _Ýpnos_ ," she whispered to him, voice breaking. ". . . That means sleep."

Withdrawing her hand, she turned back onto her side and tucked it into her chest. He didn't seem to be in pain anymore, thankfully, and just laid regarding her. Or staring, whatever he considered it as. She whispered it again and he finally closed his eyes. She laid awake beside him long into the night, keeping watch for anything else that might threaten him.

Him.

Her fairytale.

Her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word dictionary:
> 
> • **Nĭ hăo shă** \- You are stupid  
>  • **Méiyòng** \- Useless  
>  • **Poútsos** \- Prick  
>  • **Ýpnos** \- Sleep


	25. The crossing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been made aware that _poútsos_ actually translates to _dick_ , not _prick_ (although both words basically mean the same thing so thankfully it wasn't a major slipup lool). Feel free to let me know if I make any future mistakes because unfortunately the only language I'm fluent in is English aha.

Octavia had decided to accept Sesshoumaru's decision to ignore what had transpired between them in the cavern, and followed him out of Ebisu wordlessly.

At some point in the night, she had fallen asleep, and woke the next morning to find him staring at her. He was no longer on the floor at her side and was sitting against the wall. There was a strangeness in his eyes as he looked at her, but it vanished just as quickly as she sat up on the slimy floor of the cave. When she'd asked him if he was all right, he'd simply hummed in response and rose to his feet. She supposed he was embarrassed by his display of weakness and frailty, as he was rendered helpless to defend himself.

She thought of the woman as she walked.

Asuka.

And the demon exterminating group she claimed to belong to.

 _The Iwa Faction_.

Octavia wondered why she recognised that name. And the crest on Asuka's clothing. She had never seen it before, nor did she remember hearing the name anywhere either. Yet still, it was there, hiding at the back of her mind like a forgotten memory.

A breath of a whisper that remained buried deep inside her.

She thought about it for hours until Sesshoumaru's voice broke her trance-like state.

"We are almost at the ocean."

She lifted her head and saw the stretch of dizzying sapphire past the land ahead. It glinted in the sun and was calm and peaceful like a millpond. She thought of the castle in the west and felt her heart ache faintly.

She missed Rin. And Jaken, and Ah-Un, and Cyril.

She even found that she missed Koga. His witty remarks and broad grins had been refreshing and would have been welcomed on this difficult journey.

She also wondered what Kagome and Inuyasha were doing in their little village that would eventually grow to become Tokyo. If they had known what was happening, would they have come along as well? There was a tension between the brothers, Octavia knew, but still . . . he was his  _brother_.

 _You of all people should know that blood makes no difference_ , her mind taunted harshly.  _It didn't make a difference to your mother or father._

She bit her lip.

The finger she'd pricked on the thorn hurt.

The puncture wound had long since stopped bleeding, but the flesh at the tip of her finger had started to turn a disturbing shade of yellow. She cradled it gently with her other hand and barely noticed Sesshoumaru stop in front of her and turn around. Their eyes met and she dropped her hands to her sides, trying to disguise the pain in her grimace.

"Let me see," he said and she looked away.

Still, she lifted her hand. The skin was bruised and throbbing, and he reached out to cradle her hand in his. She winced as he touched it with the tip of his claw, and he lifted his gaze to observe her expression.

"It is infected," he remarked.

She breathed a laugh. "I guessed."

"The poison needs to be removed."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Like this."

He lifted the finger to his lips and slid it into his mouth. She yelped in surprise and gaped at him, eyes wide with horror and her mouth hanging open.

" _Excuse_  me?" she stammered, "But what exactly do you think you're doing?"

He released her finger to speak and said simply, "I am removing the poison." He then went back to sucking at the wound and she bit the insides of her cheeks, blushing furiously. She sometimes forgot that he was actually a giant dog under the disguise, but acts like these always managed to remind her of that little detail.

She wondered how sharp his teeth were.

Heat pooled in her stomach as his tongue lapped around the tip of her finger and she frowned harder. "I'm pretty sure I could've done this myself," she groused, avoiding looking at his face.

"Your saliva does not possess the same healing properties that mine does. You would not have been able to thoroughly cleanse the wound on your own."

"Christ, you and saliva . . ."

He chuckled around her finger then eventually released it. The discolouring was gone and the puncture wound was barely visible anymore. She stared at it, wide-eyed, then looked back to him. His gaze was laughing and she lowered her brows, pouting like a grumpy child.

"Thanks, I guess," she mumbled.

"Thanks are not necessary. I owed you a debt."

"A debt? What for?"

"For what you did in the cavern."

Her frown softened and she studied him. His expression had turned serious and she found it puzzling.

Did he think she had saved him just so that he would owe her?

Not because she'd  _wanted_  to?

"You don't owe me anything for that," she said. "That wasn't why I did it."

"So why did you?"

"Because . . ."  _Because I care. Because I didn't want to see you suffering and not do anything to try and help._ "Did you expect me  _not_  to help you?"

He seemed to consider it.

". . . No."

"So there you go. And besides, I need you to get to Namida. We're stuck in this mess together. You might not like it, but we're a team. Of course I'm going to help you when you're in trouble . . . I like to think you'd do the same for me."

His mouth curved into a smirk. "Are you so sure of that,  _Hana_?"

She grinned and tilted her head to the side. "I wasn't going to tell her my real name. That's like, rule number one when facing a villain."

"Indeed."

Her smile widened and she jeered, "I saved your life."

His smirk vanished and he regarded her seriously again. She thought he would brush her off or belittle her, but he surprised her and simply said, "You did."

Her smile was soft and she knew her eyes were shining with unrestrained glee. For a moment, she forgot his frequent rudeness and the fact that he had had her finger in his mouth mere minutes ago. She forgot his cruelty and dismissal of her species, because the way he was looking at her made her feel both elated and steady. She forgot that he was actually a giant dog in human-resembling flesh, or that he could tear a man to shreds with a snap of his wrists. Because he was looking at her like she  _mattered_  . . . and that was all she wanted.

"Who was she, do you think?" she asked.

"The woman? We cannot be certain. I have never seen her face before."

"She said she was from something called the Iwa Faction. Have you ever heard of that?"

"Never."

"Maybe Totosai has . . ." she mused, thinking back to the old man that had been the first to shed some light on her situation. "She said it was their mission to destroy all youkai. Does that worry you?"

"Nothing worries me."

Amusement danced in her eyes. "Of course not."

She decided not to tell him about the strange feeling she'd gotten from seeing the crest on Asuka's robes. It was probably nothing. It likely just looked similar to something she had seen on TV. Fiction was sometimes based on real life, after all.

The voice she heard in her head worried her though.

Whose was it? And where was it coming from? Each time she heard it, a shiver ran down her spine. But at the same time, thrill was sent coursing through her body and she  _loved_  it as much as she feared it.

Was it wrong to revel in such great power?

Did it paint her in the light of a villain too?

She diverted her troubled thoughts and asked, "What are we going to do about a boat? You don't really mean to steal one, right?"

"I am above stealing," he replied, "However, if it is necessary it cannot be helped."

"There is another way to acquire a boat, Sesshoumaru."

"And how is that?"

A small smile played on her lips.

"We could ask."

.

.

Sesshoumaru left the 'asking' to her and watched from a distance as she worked her way around the other humans with a bright smile and eyes that shone with easy friendliness.

It seemed they were also prone to her supernatural charm, because they flocked like bees to a flower and gave her great big smiles of their own.

Her charm wasn't wholly supernatural though, he noticed from observing her. She had a way with people that could only be the result of years of practice. Of learning their ways and what they responded best to, as well as what they responded badly to. She was all coy smiles and batting eyelashes around the fishermen and mercenaries, playing them like string instruments. Subtle flirting here and there, and generous compliments thrown at the women and children. Soon her gentle smiles and sweetness had them all wrapped around her little finger, and Sesshoumaru found that he was somewhat impressed by her performance.

The reason he knew that it was a performance was the flicker of falseness he sometimes saw cross her eyes. Brief. Hardly noticeable. In fact, it was practically invisible to all except him, and the level of skill she had in manipulating such an audience with her charms was impressive.

She knew the mechanics of people.

She could wind up being useful in his court, he decided after a while. He could use those skills of hers to sway his nobles and soldiers; to make them never waver in their loyalty to him.

Shikon magic.

The Jewel had brought only trouble and he'd been glad to see it destroyed, but this girl . . . regardless of her endlessly flowing power . . . She was human.

She was completely, utterly human.

Young and naïve. Easy to manipulate, if he wished. She aggravated him, but if he could use her as a tool to help strengthen his reign, he thought it might be worth it.

 _Yes_ , he thought with the faintest of smirks. It would very much be worth it.

Pleased with the conclusion he had come to, he was about to turn his head towards the sea when she looked at him from across the port.

His body stilled as his sharp vision took in her features, and the falseness in her smile seemed to disappear as she looked at him. The brightness in her eyes magnified and they glimmered like sun-warmed sea moss, and her smile softened and grew more genuine.

It caught him off guard and his smirk vanished.

He thought of her in the dark of the cavern, lit up by the golden glow of the lamplight. After she'd gathered the herb that cured his wounds, laying down beside him in the dugout. She was only a plain girl, but her eyes were not.

There were the eyes of a dreamer.

Of someone who lived so fiercely and saw everything around her with perfect clarity. They twinkled when she was happy, but when she was angry, they made him think of a forest on fire. She might be human and young, but she wasn't afraid to see the world and everything in it . . . Her mind was completely open.

She came from a world that was different to this one. A world where English wasn't a dead language and where the people's ideas were vastly different to the ones in this place. Goodness and bravery came easy to her, whilst for the people of these lands, it was like summoning a rainfall. She might be young, but she lived with a fervour and ferocity that Sesshoumaru could never compete with.

How? How was she that way? And why did he suddenly feel guilty about his plan to use her for the benefit of his empire?

Because she was like him, he realised as she looked at him from across the docks.

He didn't know why, but she was.

The two of them, they were made from the same dust and energy. Perhaps that was why he'd had Jaken follow her after that night by the campfire. Her obliviousness to his identity, how she'd mouthed him off for offending her, and her words that were spoken in a language he had only read about in his father's olden scrolls . . .

He was no different to the others that were lured in by her, but the reason he had sent Jaken after her all the way back then was because he wanted to  _know_. He wanted to know what she was, and where she came from, and  _why_  she was. The mystery of her was driving him steadily into a madness, and he knew that if he didn't figure it out soon there would be no turning back.

_What are you?_

Such irony in just one question.

It was she that was the mystery.

.

.

Pleased with herself for her efforts, Octavia pranced back to Sesshoumaru with a winning smile. She had managed to attain a small fishing boat for a reasonable price, and she hadn't even needed to use all the coins he had given her.

He rose an eyebrow expectantly, and she looked at him like she had successfully proven a point to him.

"Come on," she said, and gestured him along the front towards a series of fishing boats. She climbed into one of the crafts and stumbled as it trembled with her weight. Steadying herself, she took a deep breath. She had never liked small rowboats very much, and the thought of sailing out into choppy waters in one sent a lick of fear creeping through her chest.

She turned to offer Sesshoumaru her hand and paused when she saw him studying the boat. His brows were drawn down in disapproval and he was scowling.

Tickled, she fought back a smile.

"Does the ferry not meet your approval, my lord?" she teased, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"This puny board of wood is shameful," he groused, "I could have obtained a much larger and worthier vessel—"

"Oh, get off your high horse."

One of his brows shot up and she smirked. Finally, she extended her hand to him and waited for him to take it. He stared at it, not with disdain, but with a kind of curiosity. Eventually, he took it and climbed into the boat, picking up the duo of wooden paddles that were sitting in the bottom.

Instinctively, she searched for the motor at the back of the boat but then stilled when she remembered that this was feudal times. So that was why he had picked up the paddles. She wondered if he expected her to row them out to sea when suddenly the boat was moving, and it was Sesshoumaru that was making it happen. He held both huge paddles in his hands and was using them to push through the water and through the harbour. She found it strange, seeing him perform such a mundane and laborsome task, then criticised herself for thinking such a thing.

Sesshoumaru was a grown man. No, a youkai that was probably hundreds of years old.

He should be more than capable of rowing his own boat.

As soon as they'd left the docks, Octavia leaned back in her seat. The water was calm and cerulean. It looked straight out of a tube of paint and she smiled at the thought. A breeze combed through her hair and ghosted over her cheeks, and she almost closed her eyes at the pleasant feeling coupled with the warmth from the sun.

She thought of Rin again and strummed her fingers along the wood of the boat.

She remembered the story the little girl had told her about how she and the Taiyoukai had first met. She had been an orphan, starving and alone in a village that beat her because she had to steal to survive. She found Sesshoumaru after one of his battles with Inuyasha, wounded and resting in the forest. She brought him food and water, but he never accepted it. Octavia had found that funny, imagining a little human girl bringing him food and water, and ignoring his attempts to ignore  _her_.

Sesshoumaru respected Rin, she decided. He respected her bravery to ignore his brutality and the fact that he was a youkai, and he'd saved her because of it. When the wolves attacked her village one day, Sesshoumaru saved her life. A human life . . . all because she hadn't been afraid and had smiled at him.

"Did you secretly eat the food that Rin brought you?" she mused aloud.

"What?" he scowled.

"The food and water Rin brought you when she found you injured in the woods. Did you secretly eat and drink it when she wasn't there?"

"I do not eat human food."

"She said that's what you said to her each time she brought it," she grinned.

Sesshoumaru was looking at her cautiously. "She told you about it?"

"Yeah. I was surprised that you didn't murder the villagers that gave her all those cuts and bruises . . ."

His eyes darkened.

"I would have," he said, "If the wolves had not slaughtered them all first."

She nodded. ". . . I would have too."

They returned to silence and Octavia contemplated her words. She had just admitted that she would become a murderess for Rin. She had never killed anyone before, never even considered it, but if it came to protecting or enacting vengeance for Rin . . . she thought she would.

"Why did you let her follow you?" she asked, voice quiet. "Why didn't you just send her away? She's human."

"She was alone."

He said it like it explained everything.

"That's not an answer."

"Yes, it is."

"But it doesn't explain why you did it."

Something stirred in his eyes and he held her gaze closely. Then he answered, "The motive behind the action is irrelevant. What matters the most is the action itself."

_Actions speak louder than words._

For some reason, Octavia felt tears building in her eyes.

Tears for a little girl who had smiled at a demon king and devoted herself to him completely. Rin saw beauty in Sesshoumaru, and honestly, how could she not? He burned like the sun but had the tender hue of the moon. Subdued fury and blazing glory. He had come and saved her like a knight in shining armour. He'd taken her away from her terrible, lonely life and she'd never looked back for even a moment because, why would she?

He was everything to her, and Octavia knew that Rin reminded him of the one thing he seemed so set on forgetting . . . that even though he was a demon . . . he had a heart.

"She wants to stay with you forever," she whispered.

No matter what, Rin would never leave her beloved demon king. Even when she saw his fangs and bloodthirsty red eyes.

Octavia swallowed.

"So promise me. Promise me you won't let anything bad happen to her. Ever. She's your responsibility. You have to keep her safe, no matter what. And  _never_  . . . ever, abandon her. Don't leave her all alone and never come back."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head and slowed his rowing, studying her tear-shining eyes.

"Why do you care?" he asked, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

She thought of all the years she'd spent in care homes, and parents' evenings at school with no parents to attend, and all the loneliness that still lingered even after she moved into her own home. There had been no one— _no_  one—not even a close friend, who knew the ache of her empty heart. No one who understood the pain of the open wound she had that had never closed. Bleeding for so many years, emptying her until she was nothing but a hollow shell of a person, when all that time, she'd just wanted someone to see her. To look at her and touch her, and make her feel like she wasn't hollow. Just one person . . . Just one person in all the world, to cup her cheeks with their hands and make her think she might be worth something after all.

"Because I know how it feels to have no one. No one in the whole world."

She thought she saw a flash of understanding shoot through Sesshoumaru's butterscotch eyes, but it was gone just as fast as it had appeared.

A single tear slid from one of her eyes then and rolled down her cheek, and he stopped rowing and reached out to catch it with his hand. She tensed and stared at him, wide-eyed, as he withdrew his hand slowly and looked at the silver bead on his fingertip. She didn't move as he kept his eyes locked on the teardrop, or when it ran down his finger and fell onto her lap.

He lifted his gaze to meet hers and she couldn't even blink as she stared at the flakes of honeyed gold in his irises.

"I will not abandon her," he swore, lowering the hand that had caught her tear. "I swear it."

She nodded mutely then felt a strange cold creeping across her skin.

She broke eye contact with him and found mist spilling out from the sea and into the boat. It was white and thick, more like smoke than mist, and she reached out her fingers cautiously to touch it. They went straight through it and it parted, coiling around her hand like a serpent, and she quickly blinked the tears out of her eyes.

She remembered Myoga's words about the island and sat up straighter.

"Enchanted fog . . . ," she whispered, and Sesshoumaru stood up in the boat. She watched the sharpness in his eyes then tilted her head to look out at the expanse of blue-white surrounding them. It was nothing like the fog in London, which was yellow and suffocating. This fog was cold and wet, kissing along her skin and forming moisture, and the smell of saltwater was overwhelmingly strong in her nostrils.

"As long as our intentions are pure and without voracity," she repeated Myoga's words, "Then we should be able to find the island."

"Do  _you_  see an island, human?" Sesshoumaru's voice was laced with frustration.

Ignoring him, Octavia felt a whispering in her mind. Whenever she turned her head in a certain direction, her skin would prickle and she tensed.

Perhaps . . .

"Keep rowing," she said, and Sesshoumaru raised a brow but obeyed. The boat pushed through the odd mist and Octavia narrowed her eyes and leaned her head to the side as she pushed at the thing inside of her.

"A little more to the left."

"How do you know?"

She met his eyes and gave him a hard stare.

"I just do."

He rowed them through the blanket of fog for what could have been hours, but felt like only a few minutes. Sesshoumaru's hair was damp with the moisture in the air and several inky strands were fastened to the sides of his face. Octavia imagined her own hair looked the same.

The sights were distracting her, she realised, and closed her eyes.

But she wasn't blind.

She could feel the island, beckoning to her from beyond. The block on her magic remained as strong as ever, but now she could somehow slip past it and feel the power curling inside her. For some reason, it was serving as a connection to the hidden island.

Her skin prickled again and her head swayed in the direction they needed to go. Sesshoumaru watched her movements carefully and followed the path she directed, and suddenly she was hit with a powerful urge to open her eyes.

When she did, a shocked breath escaped her when she saw that her skin was glowing with a pale purple light.

The light shone from her and illuminated them in a dome, pushing the fog away and creating a path. Sesshoumaru seemed as shocked as she, though his expression remained sharp. She stared at the gentle light coming from her skin and wondered why her magic was responding regardless of the block. She had no control over it, she discovered. It was no more than a reaction provoked by their proximity to the island, so she allowed it to guide them through the misty waters.

"There!" she pointed, spying the silhouettes of hills through the lapis clouds. Sesshoumaru saw them too and rowed in the direction of them.

The light coming from her grew brighter the closer they neared, and a sense of restlessness came upon her. Slowly, the fog parted and her light stretched out to form a larger path. Rocks became visible and finally . . . a shoreline.

They sailed towards it and the ship touched the sand, coming to a halt on the mysterious beach. Octavia climbed out and onto the sand. The fog had disappeared and the light coming from her skin slowly started to fade. She studied her hands as it did and frowned when she felt its absence more strongly than ever. It felt as if her powers had never resurfaced, even if they were against her control.

"We made it," she breathed nevertheless, disbelief plain on her features.

Sesshoumaru came to stand beside her and they stared at the trees at the end of the beach. She felt a tremor of fear and balled her fists. The Reikon Blade was hot against her thigh, but not uncomfortably so.

Sesshoumaru's eyes were narrow and she stared at him, waiting.

"Come," he said, and she did.


	26. The hidden land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, they've arrived at Namida (only took them about a hundred chapters lool). This part of the story is full of key information/foreshadowing/hints to future plots, so pay attention ;) This chapter also introduces new characters that will be very important narrative-wise, so I hope you like them.

Once upon a time, two children held the power to move the stars.

They were born in a sandcastle on the outskirts of Athens, one boy, and one girl. Bad people wanted to use their power for evil deeds, so their mother and father tried to take it away from them and send it back to the gods. However, the children were only mere babes, and the parents were warned that they may be too vulnerable to successfully complete the ritual.

Regardless, they made the attempt, and as predicted, the scheme went horribly wrong.

The boy was lost, leaving the girl all alone.

.

.

Octavia almost couldn't believe that a few short minutes ago they had been trapped in a suffocating sea fret, because the bright sunlight casting the island in a faint golden glow was like another world.

Namida was unlike any other place she had seen, the leaves on the trees silver and a feel of magic in the air. Diamonds rose up from the ground in places and were encrusted in tree trunks, glittering in the buttery sunshine, and there were wildflowers everywhere. Her fingers brushed against their petals as she and Sesshoumaru walked and she smiled. She failed to notice, however, that the diamonds were glowing a soft purple hue as she passed them.

There were remains of a path that they were walking along, but it looked like it hadn't been used in decades. Weeds and tiny flowers sprouted from the gaps in the cobblestones and honeybees flitted back and forth between the plants. Butterflies frolicked through the air, and as they passed a small millpond she spied a cluster of dragonflies chasing each other along the water's sun-warmed surface. Their beating wings winked with light and she heard birds singing in the trees.

The farther they ventured, the stranger the sights became.

Animals began to appear, intrigued by their presence on the island, but along with standard boars and monkeys came other creatures Octavia had never seen before.

There were foxes with curiously human-like features. Kappa, she recognised because of Jaken. Raccoon dogs whose gazes followed her with a strange sentience. Huge birds with feathers every colour imaginable, and so many more. They all regarded her and the Taiyoukai with interest, and she studied them with an equal fascination of her own. Sesshoumaru seemed oblivious to their presence and strode ahead.

She felt giddy, like she'd stumbled into Narnia or Wonderland. Her heart raced faster as they climbed a golden slope and reached a ledge overlooking a great glittering abyss.

Waterfalls spilled over the edges into the ravine and she was reminded slightly of Niagara Falls, only this place felt different. Magic swelled in the air and the falls gleamed with crystals and sunlight, and huge chunks of diamond were visible at the bottom.

"Crystal tears . . . ," she whispered, staring. "But where is the city?"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head and she followed his gaze to a set of sparkling spires beyond the falls. She squinted her eyes and thought they looked a little like skyscrapers, although those kinds of buildings didn't yet exist in this world.

"Do you think that's it?" she asked.

Before he could answer, a scream cut through the air, breaking the mythological atmosphere, and their heads whipped in the direction of it.

A group of children were gathered by the cliff at the other side of the ravine, and Octavia gasped when she saw that one had fallen off the edge and was clinging to the rock for dear life.

"Sesshoumaru!"

He quickly hooked an arm around her waist and leaped across the falls. The speed he flew at winded her and she wobbled when he put her down on the other side where the rest of the children stood. They gawked at them for a few seconds before the child hanging onto the cliff screamed again, and they rediverted their attention back down.

She ran to the edge and bit her lip as she saw the little boy struggling to hold onto the chunk of crystal wedged into the wall. He was crying and trembling, and she looked around as if a rope would just be magically lying on the ground for her to throw to him.

"Save him!" she yelled at Sesshoumaru, but his eyes were calculative as he stared at the child.

"I cannot," he said.

"Why not?!"

"Because he is trapped between two powerful waterfalls and there is nowhere to land at the bottom if I were to try and reach him."

"Can't you fly?!"

"I can only jump as I am now."

She was about to yell at him again because hadn't he just flown them over the falls? But then she stopped and considered his words. He couldn't use his whip or poison because he was a Black Inu now. So could it be that what looked like flying was actually just him jumping really far?

Frustration boiled in her chest and she balled her fists.

"Try and use your whip again," she ordered.

"I cannot."

"You could before! Just try!"

The harshness of her demand almost seemed to startle him, like he hadn't expected her rage, and his eyes slid down to his hand and he curled his fingers. And then, disappointingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, nothing happened.

She wanted to scream.

The child whimpered again and she turned to the others. They were hanyou, she noticed then with a flush of surprise. Some with pointed feline ears and some with fur sprouting in odd patches across their skin. Some had scales and some had fins. She was surprised to find those of youkai blood on an island that was supposedly where the first mikos had been born.

"You," she said, making them jolt and stand to attention, "Bring me some rope. A lot of it too."

They nodded frantically and scampered off into the trees. She then rushed back to the edge and got down on her knees to lean over. The child hanging there finally noticed her presence and stared up at her with huge, terrified eyes.

"You're gonna be okay," she promised, forcing a smile. "We're gonna help you. Just hold on a little bit longer."

He managed a nod and she dug her fingers into the earth. He wasn't that far down. He was going to be okay. If he could just hold on, he would be okay.

She reached inside of her and felt for her own powers, but the numbing block refused to budge. She swore at it with her mind and wondered why it chose only certain moments to resurface.

Where was the voice that had spoken to her? Or had it been simply nothing more than a result of growing madness?

 _Come on_ , she reached out to it.  _Didn't you promise me power?_

But there was only silence.

She bit down on her tongue and tasted blood.

The boy sniveled and she eased farther towards the edge, leaning over and trying to reach for him. The rock dug into her palm and she chewed her lip vigorously, stretching as if she could somehow turn her body into elastic. Sesshoumaru simply watched her, and she felt her anger flare at his passiveness. He didn't move, he didn't speak, he didn't so much as flinch. Why wouldn't he try?  _She_  was the human. Wasn't he supposed to be supernatural and without flaw? Storybooks had taught her that he should be able to reach down the cliff without breaking a sweat and rescue the child . . .

Wasn't he supposed to be able to do anything?

With that thought, the edge she was leaning over gave way and she felt herself falling.

Time felt slower than she imagined it actually was as she toppled out of Sesshoumaru's grasp and sailed down with the rubble. The boy's hands slipped from the edge and he was falling too, and she managed to catch him and yank him quickly to her chest, hoping to protect him from the impact of when they hit the water.

 _Please_ , she willed as they fell, calling to behind that invisible door inside her.

She saw the sky as she fell, blue and speckled with clouds, and a sense of passive acceptance almost befell her at the sight . . . before determination surged through her veins like wildfire.

Something ignited in her and her skin exploded with violet sparks. They caught the crystals in the waterfalls and the gems flared to life, bright and glowing. The boy screamed and almost slid from out of her grasp, but she held him tight as the crystals twisted and mutated. And then, just before they hit the churning pool at the bottom, a giant crystal rose from the water and caught them.

"Oof!" she breathed as her back collided with hard crystal.  _Wait . . ._

She sat up, the boy in her lap and clinging to her like a limpet, and gasped. The gem structure that had risen and caught them was rising, steadily, and it was glowing brightly just like she was. Every crystal in the falls was, and her head spun frantically as she looked at them. The platform continued to rise until it was level with the cliff, where Sesshoumaru crouched, visibly startled by the ordeal. He concealed it well, but she could clearly read the shock on his face.

Slowly, he rose to his feet and stared at her. She met his trapping gaze and felt the light coming from her skin shimmer. It was warm and certain, but seeing the look in his eyes made it feel ferocious and jittery.

Like a gathering storm, crackling with thunder and lightning.

Before she could even think about how to get across the gap to him, a whir of blue shot out from the trees behind him and landed on the crystal platform in front of her.

It was a woman.

A very peculiar looking woman too.

Her eyes were silver and her hair reminded Octavia of blue smoke. The pupils of her eyes were dark thin slits, and Octavia could see fangs tucked behind her grinning lips. Her ears resembled fins more than they did ears, fanned out and smooth, and her hands and feet were webbed. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed faint lines on either side of the demoness's neck . . . Very reminiscent to the gills of a fish. Her kimono was black and red and she wore a string of curved knives at her hips.

She smirked in a very Sesshoumaru-like way and said, "How odd."

_You don't say._

Suddenly, the boy in her arms turned his head and his face lit up. "Nagi-san!" he squeaked and plummeted into her arms instead.

She caught him and the smirk on her lips lost a little of its sharpness.

"You have quite a knack for trouble, don't you, Haru-chan?" she said, and the weight on Octavia's chest lifted at the sound of her voice. She stroked the boy's hair then lifted her gaze back to her, studying her carefully.

Her skin had stopped shimmering, as had the crystals, but Octavia wasn't foolish enough to think that the demoness would simply dismiss her with no questions asked.

"I have never seen you before," she addressed her, "You or your friend on the ledge over there. Who are you? Why did you come here?"

"Um . . . My name is Octavia. He's Sesshoumaru. We came here to . . ."

She cast a quick glance over at the Taiyoukai. She didn't know whether to tell her the truth about their situation or to lie. This woman was a stranger; she could be dangerous. She could be the very villain that had stripped them of their strengths and lured them here. But yet, looking at her, holding the little boy so warmly . . . Octavia wasn't sure.

"Do you plan on finishing that sentence or not?"

Octavia remained tight-lipped and the youkai's grin stretched at the obvious tension in her features.

"I see," she hummed thoughtfully. "Then perhaps you'd care to tell me how you came to possess such powerful Shikon magic."

"What Shikon magic?" another voice called from the cliff.

Octavia tilted her head as the demoness did and saw a man approaching the edge near where Sesshoumaru was. He was tall and broad, but unlike this finned woman, he looked rather ordinary.

" _Taro_ ," she frowned at him, "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of the class right about now?"

"I was," he replied, "But I left them with Ichika as soon as I was alerted to a child in peril at these very falls. Now you didn't answer me.  _What_  Shikon magic?"

"The magic that sent this great big crystal here shooting up like a bean sprout."

Taro stared at the dazzling structure and scratched his head.

"Oh, yes. I don't recall seeing that there yesterday. How did it get there?"

The woman suddenly caught Octavia's arm and held it up. "It was this girl's doing. I saw it with my very own eyes."

"I did too!" Haru cried, grabbing her other arm. He was surprisingly strong for such a young boy. "She saved me from falling! She made the crystals grow up out of the water like trees!"

"I didn't really—" Octavia stammered, but he cut her off with more frantic praise.

"She was shining like a star! And then the whole falls lit up! It was amazing!"

He'd seemed pretty scared whilst it was happening, but she decided not to mention that.

She could feel her cheeks getting hotter the more they all studied at her, but then Taro turned his attention to Sesshoumaru, who had gone unusually quiet. "And who might you be?" he asked, receiving a bored stare in response.

"She said his name is Sesshoumaru. She's Okteviah."

"Actually, it's Octavia."

" _Octavia_ ," she corrected herself, "My apologies. Okteviah is the name of one of our goddesses, you see."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm Nagisa, by the way. And that is my husband, Taro."

"I'm Haru!" the little boy cried, and Octavia found a smile creeping onto her mouth. In the place of a human nose sat a bear's, shining and inky. He had brown round ears on the top of his head that twitched in unison with his nose.

"Hey," she greeted. Nagisa was still eyeing her strangely, and she wondered if she would throw them out for trespassing.

 _Or maybe they'll cook you in a stew_ , her mind suggested.  _Don't demons eat humans?_

She scolded herself for making such an assumption. Sesshoumaru didn't eat humans . . . Well, she hadn't actually asked. He'd said to Rin that he didn't eat human food, which could translate to he ate humans  _as_  food, but still, regardless . . .

She shook the thought out of her head.

"Did the two of you come alone?" Nagisa asked.

She nodded, "It's just us."

She seemed to be contemplating something, her starlight eyes flickering with careful thought.

"Your accent is very strange," she remarked, her voice holding traces of a deeper implication, "I do not think I've ever heard it before. Where exactly did you come from?"

"Just . . . somewhere."

" _Somewhere_ , hmm?"

"Yeah . . . Somewhere far away."

Her fins twitched and she cocked her head sideways. ". . . I see. How interesting." Then she turned her head and yelled, "Taro! We're taking them to the city!"

He blinked, "We are?"

"We are?" Haru parroted more excitedly.

"Certainly. They are guests on this island. We must treat them with the utmost respect. Especially considering we stand in the presence of Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western domain."

Sesshoumaru's brows quirked upward and Octavia felt her eyes grow wide.

"How did you . . . ?" she asked, but Nagisa only grinned.

"Come on," she said, extending her hand, "Let's get off this rock and out of the wilderness. As nice as the falls are, I think you'll like the city very much, star mage."

_Star mage._

That was so very new.

Feeling strangely confident in the demoness's integrity, Octavia took her webbed hand and let her pull her to her feet. As she stood, she looked down at the smooth, see-through surface of the crystal they were standing on. Sunlight shone from it harshly and she was forced to look away. She could not deny the power fizzing through the structure though, even though hers continued to fluctuate between being there and then not there.

She locked eyes with Sesshoumaru once Nagisa flew her and Haru back onto the cliff, and saw the blatant warning in his eyes.

_Beware of everyone on this island._

She nodded discretely, then strode alongside him towards the spires in the distance.


	27. City of crystal tears

Once upon a time, there lived a girl so lonely she talked to spiders.

Not just spiders either. Caterpillars, beetles, moths. Any insect she came across became her friend. She saw things in their eyes that the eyes of people lacked. But the other orphans mocked her and trampled her spiders, and she mourned for them when no one was looking. She cursed the cruel boys that would burn ants with magnifying glasses, laughing through the slaughter, and wished that karma was more than a wistful comforting thought.

Unbeknownst to all of them, there was a spider in her mind, tucked away under the thickest blankets of memories. Red-eyed and seeking the darkness she had buried behind a seal of chains. It built webs in her mind and crawled along the strings, endlessly searching and evading detection.

But the chains that sealed the darkness were stronger and thicker than it had anticipated.

.

.

Sesshoumaru failed to allow his attention to waver from the island-dwellers walking just in front of them.

Their smiles were wide and they laughed freely, constantly throwing simple banter back and forth, but still, he felt that something wasn't right. They were on an island that was supposedly the origin place of spiritual power, and yet there were youkai here. Considering that he himself was here as well, the barrier obviously permitted entry, but that didn't stop him from finding it strange.

He had expected to find a covenant of sorts. Religious fanatics, rippling with spiritual power with the sole mission of destroying everything impure.

Not youkai and hanyou, mixed in with ordinary humans.

Narrowing his eyes at the back of the sea dragon's blue head, he stole a glimpse at Octavia, who was walking beside him with her eyes fastened on the nearing crystal towers.

He thought back to the falls, to her glowing skin and the rising quartz. His blood did not resurface in short intervals as her magic did. Aside from the time he'd managed to summon his whip, the spell on him remained firm and insistent. Was her resolve simply stronger than his? Was her desire to break through the seal fiercer? Or was it a merely reaction to the island—the birthplace of her power—calling out to it and forcing it to emerge?

She must have felt his eyes on her because hers shot to his and she gave him a crooked smile.

This island could possess the answers he was searching for.

Once they discovered the creature that had done this to them, they might be blessed with enlightenment from the other island-dwellers. The sea dragon knew who he was, though he hadn't the faintest idea how. When he was a Silver again, he could very well demand an explanation. He could demand one now if he wanted, but he would prefer to be able to fall back on his full strength and abilities if it came down to a bloody fight. And Octavia . . .

He found himself frowning suddenly.

That was twice now that he had thought of her by name.

He called Inuyasha by name, but that was because he enjoyed how it sounded dripping with malice and loathing. Her name, however . . . Negative thoughts were hardly ever associated with it as they were with Inuyasha's, unless he was angry or frustrated with her.

The sea dragon had said that Okteviah was the name of a goddess.

Perhaps that was why it sounded more appealing and worthwhile to him.

 _Did you expect me_ not _to help you?_

To give her some credit, she had helped him back there without an ulterior motive in mind . . . Unless her intention had been to jumble and confuse his thoughts into her favour.

Was it possible that she was playing him just as she was playing everyone else?

_You might not like it, but we're a team._

Realising he had been looking at her for too long, he tore his gaze away and continued glaring at the back of the sea dragon's head. He could see that she was still smiling from the corner of his eye, except this time amusement had crept into her features and it almost looked like she wanted to laugh.

 _Infuriating human_ , he thought with a scowl.

"How did you get here, Octavia-san?" the hanyou boy blabbered from the front, tilting his head back to flash her a goofy grin.

"In a boat," she answered, still smiling. "How did you get here?"

He giggled. "I was born here, just like everyone else. Well, everyone except Nagi-san, of course!"

Sesshoumaru thought that was interesting.

"How did you get here, Nagisa?" Octavia voiced his thoughts.

The sea dragon laughed and turned to look at them both. Her gaze lingered on him for longer than it did her and something about it made him uncomfortable, though he couldn't pinpoint why. She didn't say anything that could serve as a hint why and simply answered the question.

"I washed up here after a storm," she said, "Taro found me on the sands and brought me inland. I was injured pretty badly."

" _Pretty badly_ is an understatement," the human mumbled, "You bled all over my floorboards."

"They were only floorboards, you old fool."

"Recently washed floorboards, you forget to mention. I spent hours cleaning them only to have to do it all over again later! And old fool? You're hundreds of years older than me!"

"You're the one that's getting grey hairs," she jeered, and he feigned offense.

The hanyou burst out laughing and agreed with her, causing the man to mock tears and hide behind his hand. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, could not work out what was so funny, considering his grey hairs meant that the human was going to die long before the two of them were.

"That's what you get for marrying an old man then," he shot back, and she shook her head, eyes shining with laughter.

When Sesshoumaru glanced at Octavia again, he found a distant sadness in her features.

She hadn't ceased smiling, but it had lost its brightness and resembled more a mask than a genuine expression.

He wondered what she was thinking to make her look like that.

"Where did you come from before?" she asked and the sea dragon's laughter stopped.

"Before I washed up on these shores?"

Sesshoumaru, too, wanted to know.

The demoness's eyes flickered with an undistinguishable memory and her smile softened. There was something about her he recognised, he realised then. Something in her face and posture. What was it? She knew who he was, even living on an island so cut off from the rest of the country. How did she know that? . . . Unless she had already known  _before_  she came here.

Eventually, she smirked and gave Octavia a wink.

"You have your secrets, star mage, and I have mine."

"You keep calling me that.  _Star mage_. But I have no idea what it means."

"Well, a star is something you see at night when—"

"No, I know what the words mean. What I don't know is why you call me them."

Sesshoumaru studied the secrecy on the sea dragon's face and felt his brows crease. She was hiding something, he was certain, but was it that she was responsible for their journey here, or something else entirely?

"A star mage is someone who uses Shikon magic," the hanyou answered instead, "Shikon magic is made up of four different powers that are each named after four stars."

"The God Stars?" she prompted hopefully, and he nodded.

Aramitama. Kushimitama. Nigimitama. Sakimitama. The four great stars and the names of the four souls that were trapped inside the Shikon Jewel alongside Midoriko and Magatsuhi. This island was supposedly where Sakimitama's tears first fell, which could potentially explain her reaction to the crystals.

Everything was tied to the story of the Four God Stars.

She absorbed power from the earth. From spiritual users such as Kagome. And even from youkai.

 _Sakimitama and Aramitama_.

That was only two of them. Just two and she had already shown that she was ridiculously powerful. If she ever managed to use all four of them . . . what would it mean?

What could she become?

"There hasn't been one in a long time," the sea dragon remarked. "And certainly not one strong enough to manipulate the crystals so easily like you did."

"So what does it mean?"

Unfortunately, she never received an answer because they finally arrived at what looked to be the entrance to the city.

A stone archway hung above the path like a crescent moon, smooth and white, and the dirt path shifted into carefully paved cobblestones. There were diamonds embedded in-between them, sparkling and burned by the sun. Similar gemstones snaked up the arch like ivy and Octavia seemed entranced by them.

 _Beautiful_ , he saw her mouth, and the sea dragon smiled.

She shifted her silver gaze to Sesshoumaru and her smile seemed to transform. His brow creased at the bizarreness of the smile, and she said, "Welcome to Momose, Lord of the West."

.

.

Momose.

_A hundred stars._

Octavia smiled, making her way down the cobbled road along with the rest of the party. She watched Haru skipping across them happily and was amused when she noticed that he was deliberately avoiding stepping on any of the lines.

That funny little game dated all the way back to here, it seemed.

Without the blockage of trees hiding their bases, the crystal towers were fully visible now and even more impressive than she could have imagined. They were hundreds of storeys high and their surfaces shone like mirrors, poisoned by the sun. Everything else she'd seen in her worldly travels was suddenly less magnificent compared to them.

Even Sesshoumaru's castle was put to shame.

They were stationed several yards apart from each other and spanned out for miles. The gaps between them were filled with smaller buildings, markets, and shrines. And the people that strolled amongst them were a mixture of everything. Men with lions' heads, and wolves with wings, and women whose bottom halves were those of serpents. Beings that were half man, half beast. But that wasn't all, there were full youkai among them too, and humans. So many humans darting about and smiling at the curious creatures. The scene caused Octavia to stop dead in her tracks and just stare, paralysed by the image of human and demon coexisting in perfect harmony.

"Octavia-san?" Haru called at her feet, "Are you all right?"

She blinked slowly then looked down at him. He was smiling at her, his face so full of youth and jubilation. He'd never known true suffering, or hatred, or prejudice, she realised looking at him. None of them here on this island had. They all existed in the same place and it didn't matter to them.

Because they were the same, each and every one of them.

They weren't blinded by exterior guises because they looked past each other and saw that beauty wasn't only skin deep. It didn't matter whether they were human or demon or something in the middle . . . Anyone could be bad, just like anyone could be good.

Haru's face creased up.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, frowning.

Crying?

She lifted a hand to her face and found dampness on her cheek. She wiped it away and wondered why it was there.

"I don't know," she admitted, and she felt Nagisa's eyes on her.

She met her gaze and let out a breath.

These people lived together. They not only tolerated but probably loved one another. Their races didn't matter, because all of them were capable of love.

United by their ability to love.

She stole a glance at Sesshoumaru, who was observing the scene with cautious eyes. Why couldn't it be like that everywhere? This union of kinds. Why couldn't it exist elsewhere? Why couldn't they just set aside their differences and put a stop to the mindless hatred?

Sesshoumaru could stop it, she thought.

He could bridge the gap and make all the carnage end.

Because his brother was the connecting piece.

Taro reached inside his kimono for something then offered it to her.

It was a handkerchief.

"Do you want it?" he asked, and she found herself smiling again, "For your face."

She almost laughed. There was a likeness about him to Jirou Higurashi, though he wasn't nearly as old as the cheerily babbling shrine-keeper quite yet. There was kindness in the lines on his face. An undeniable sense of goodness that she couldn't ignore.

She shook her head, "Thank you, but I'm all right."

He nodded and then stashed the tissue back into the folds of his haori.

Haru sniggered, "She probably saw where you got it from and decided that she didn't want to use smelly thing like that."

"Hey!" Taro cried, "I am perfectly clean, boy. It is you that sometimes goes for days on end without a bath."

"I do not!"

"No one likes a liar, Haru-chan."

"I'm not a liar, smelly!"

After saying that, Haru attempted to run, but Taro caught him in his arms and scooped him up, making him scream and wriggle like an eel. His ears twitched from side to side and Octavia stifled a giggle.

"God damn it, you two," Nagisa scolded, breaking them apart, "You're making us out to be a bunch of happy-go-lucky fools."

"But I didn't even tell any of my jokes," Taro pouted, and Haru squirmed some more in his grasp.

"If you had I would've thrown you in the falls and left you to drown."

"That's a little extreme, don't you think? My dearest darling?"

"Don't sweet talk me. Now put him down and let him run back to his mother. She'll be worried sick about him."

Sighing in defeat, Taro released the hanyou and he dropped to the ground without even a stumble. He stuck out his tongue at the man then smiled widely at Octavia.

"Thank you for saving me," he said, arms clasped together behind his back.

She blinked and then smiled. "You don't have to thank me."

Besides, even if she was responsible, if anything he should be thanking the crystal that shot up out of nowhere and caught them.

He smiled wider then turned to Nagisa.

"Goodbye, Nagi-san. Don't let Taro-san annoy you too much with his boring stories."

"My stories are not boring!"

Nagisa ruffled his hair. "I won't. Now be good for your mother and don't go to the falls alone again. And yes, before you ask, going with your friends instead of an adult still counts as going alone."

"Okay!"

And then he scampered off, lost in the sea of monsters and men.

Octavia was sad to see him go, but she was glad he was safe.

 _Rin would love this place_ , she thought and imagined the girl darting rapidly between the crystal towers with Haru.

"How were they made?" she asked, eyes on the looming diamond structures.

Nagisa put her hands on her hips and grinned. "The first Shikon users built them. They were able to mutate the crystals on this island like you did back there, so they made this place with their powers and crafted a barrier that would stop evil-doers from entering."

"What happened to them?" Sesshoumaru asked.

It was the first thing he'd said since they'd met the peculiar duo.

Octavia waited for an answer, but disappointingly, she merely shrugged.

"No one knows, my lord. It was millions of years ago."

Octavia wondered how the power had suddenly reappeared with her. What was her connection to this place? Why was she here? Her power was the surest thing she felt, even tucked away behind the mystic block, but that didn't mean she understood why she had it in the first place.

_If only my past wasn't such a huge question mark._

Then, like a jolt of electricity, a thought passed through her. A prompt sent from the back of her mind.

It was as if it had been whispered in her ear and urged her to remember.

"Do you know anything about the Iwa Faction?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* please review


	28. Become a dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone! Sorry for the brief delay in updating, I've been busy with it being Christmas and all (especially since i work in retail rip). I hope you all had a good time even if you don't celebrate it!

Nagisa and Taro frowned at the name and looked at one other, bubbling with confusion and picking their brains for knowledge. Their expressions suggested that the name meant little to them, but Octavia had learned not to be so quick to discern something as a hard fact in this world.

"I've never heard of it," Taro rubbed his head, and Nagisa gave an agreeing shrug.

"What about a woman?" Octavia pressed, "Asuka. Does that name mean anything to you?"

"I am afraid it doesn't," Nagisa shook her head, and Octavia's shoulders slumped a little. She passed Sesshoumaru a glance, but his expression was as neutral as always.

What she would give to know what he was thinking.

Sensing the disappointment in the air, Nagisa smiled and took Octavia's hand.

"Come. Let me take you to our teacher. He goes by the name, Mamoru. He can tell you more about the origins of your power. He has been telling the story for many years, to our parents and their parents, and so on. He will want to meet you."

"Okay, but what about Sesshoumaru?"

She scanned the Taiyoukai with her sea-foam eyes and gave him a smirk.

"You can come too, Lord of the West."

There was something familiar in the way that she looked at him.

She and Taro led them through the city towards a giant marble temple on a hill. The wall of steps seemed daunting to Octavia at first, but she squeezed her fists and forced herself to be determined. She pushed her hair behind her ears and followed Sesshoumaru up the steps. Her heart thundered as they neared the entrance to the temple, and she found something inside of her singing in response to the source of energy she could feel coming from the top of the hill.

Once at the top, she breathed deeply and wiped the sweat from her neck. She turned and stared down at the city below, which was now coated with a thin layer of mist that looked remarkably like cloud.

The crystal towers tore through it and looked like they were suspended in the sky, reaching up towards the heavens. She wondered how tall they actually were if not even the main temple of the island failed to reach their height.

Far in the distance, she saw something shifting in the mist.

The shape was long and serpent-like, and sailed up briefly over the cloud cover before plunging back underneath, like a dolphin dancing in the waves. She thought it looked a little like a dragon, but it was gone before she could properly make it out.

"My mother used to say that sighting a dragon is an omen of bad luck."

She turned her head as Sesshoumaru came to stand beside her at the top of the steps.

He stared out into the ocean of mist and towers and a breeze caught the dark strands of his hair.

She held her forearms and turned to look back at the endless mystical expanse.

"Do you always listen to what your mother says?" she teased.

The corners of his mouth quirked and she smiled.

"Why did she say that?"

"She said that a dragon represents the strength of a woman's scorn. There is a story. Kiyohime. They say there was a young woman who fell in love with a man, but he quickly tired of and eventually betrayed her. Her thirst for vengeance transformed her into a great dragon, and she slaughtered him in her wrath."

"That sounds like a lovely bedtime story."

"It is nonsense, but there is wisdom behind it. The story emphasises the power of rage and retribution. My mother is a cynical woman, but she adores such metaphorical gibberish."

Octavia thought back to what Kannika had told her about Sesshoumaru's mother. She liked painting and lived in castle somewhere in the sky, but here Sesshoumaru was claiming she was a cynical individual. Octavia had never met her, but she sensed a mother who told her son stories with such meanings couldn't be completely cold to the world she lived in.

Surely, she taught him such things in the hopes of turning him into a better man.

What did she think of him, Octavia wondered?

What did she think of the person her son had become?

"I like the sound of your mother," she said.

He made a noise that sounded like a snort.

"You would not like her if you met her. She cares little for pleasant first impressions and even less for humans."

"So that's where you get it from, I see."

"There are not many who share the same ideals as you. Demons and humans alike have always regarded each other with resentment and disgust. Thousands of years of history cannot be erased so easily when blood is spilled every single day on each side."

"But it's not like that here. Everyone here accepts one another and is happy. Why can't it be like that everywhere else?"

He didn't answer that and she turned to look at him again.

"Why  _can't_  we all share those ideals?" she asked, "You say it's out of anyone's control, but you won't even try . . . How can you expect things to change if you're not willing to fight to make them happen?"

His eyes shifted to meet hers and she held his gaze, feeling the wind faintly tugging her hair.

His mother had said that the story represented the strength of a woman's scorn, but maybe it meant something else too. Something that could apply to this. Something that could apply to  _anything_. The strength of willpower. Of the desire to follow what you believed in.

The message that anyone could summon  _power_.

"Kiyohime used her anger to  _make_  something happen," she said, "In her case, it was killing, but the meaning is still the same. If you feel strongly enough about something, if you want to change it badly enough, then you can. Anyone can become a dragon if they fight hard enough."

The gold in his eyes burned like fire and she knew her words had gotten through to him. She'd just needed to phrase them properly, to mask them in the one thing he understood with perfect clarity.

Power.

Nagisa and Taro beckoned them in then, so she turned away from the towers suspended in clouds, and Sesshoumaru followed. He said nothing, but he didn't have to.

She'd seen all she needed to see just from looking at him.

The inside of the temple was just as magnificent as the outside. The interior was white with cream coloured wooden floors, and the giant windows were made of tiny paper squares. There were golden carpets leading up to the colossal altar, and the ceiling was decorated with paintings of a thousand different ink paintings. Pillars stretched out along the sides of the building and each one was inscribed with pale, indecipherable markings. Four great statues sat atop the altar, golden and intimidating. She saw as they walked closer that their eyes were made of purple gemstone, and glittered with the sunlight pouring in.

She knew which gods they were meant to be before being told.

"The God Stars," Nagisa said as they stared up at them. "Aramitama, Kushimitama, Nigimitama, and Sakimitama. Although I'm sure that you already guessed that."

The base of the altar was cluttered with offerings and four shide paper streamers hung from a string on a wooden box at the statues' feet. Octavia couldn't help feeling slightly overwhelmed, and her veins surged in reaction to the energy of the temple.

"What do you think, Octavia-sama?" Taro asked.

"It's . . . really something. And you don't have to call me that. Just Octavia is fine."

"Oh, it would be disrespectful to call you anything else!"

"Where is the teacher?" Sesshoumaru inquired, growing impatient.

Nagisa put her hands on her hips and said, "He should be here by now." Then she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Mamoru-kun! What are you doing?! Get out here!"

"You shouldn't be yelling like that in here," Taro tried to quieten her, but she ignored him.

" _Mamoru-kun!_  The star mage is here! Didn't you want to meet her?!"

A figure came rushing in then from behind a paper screen. He was dressed in temple attire and he looked rather human apart from the bull's head sitting in the place of a human one. His horns were long and curled downward, and his brown cheeks and snout were marked with small patches of groomed silver fur. He stopped in front of Octavia and studied her, his eyes large and awed. She blinked quickly and he clasped his hands together before grinning widely.

"I don't believe it," he said, shaking his head, "I simply don't believe it."

"Are you blind, old man?" Nagisa snapped, "She's right there in front of you as proof. I told you I wasn't lying."

"Impossible. Incredible! I cannot believe it. I never thought that I would live to see this day."

"Um . . . ," Octavia forced herself to smile—although it probably looked more like a grimace— and asked, "What day?"

He beamed.

"The day that Shikon magic returns to these shores. The day that  _you_  come! God Stars, you are little more than a miracle, my girl. We have been waiting for you for  _centuries_."

She felt warmth creeping up her neck and into her face, and stole a bashful glance at Sesshoumaru, who seemed more amused than anything by the spectacle. As Mamoru elatedly lifted her hands and started inspecting her palms, she mentally cursed the Taiyoukai for not offering her any help out of the embarrassing situation.

"Hey . . ." she said, trying to stop the bull youkai from inspecting her cheeks. "Okay, look. I'm no miracle, and I'm certainly nobody's salvation. I didn't come here to be a hero or a saviour or anything like that, I just want to understand . . . I don't understand."

Mamoru's expression softened then and he smiled.

His eyes were completely black and reminded her more of a bird's than a bull's.

"Come, little one," he said, squeezing her hands, "I will tell you all I can."

He led them away from the altar and into another room. It was relatively simple; a table at the center, ink tapestries hanging on the walls, and paper screens which were pushed to the sides and opened out to an engawa and a little garden. They all strode out of the room and outside, where the air was fresh and the sound of birds could be heard in the blossom trees. The garden was lush and green and filled with a series of unusual smooth stones. There was also a millpond with a small waterfall, and the trickling of water filled Octavia's ears like sweet music.

She watched Mamoru stop at one of the trees and brush the blossom petals with his fingers. Nagisa and Taro lingered behind, simply watching, and even Sesshoumaru was utterly quiet.

"Are you familiar with the story of the Four God Stars?" he asked her.

"Yes."

"That's good. You already possess a decent amount of knowledge on the subject."

"It can hardly be called knowledge," Sesshoumaru groused. "It is simply a fairytale."

Octavia shot him a hard stare but Mamoru chuckled. "You ought to be careful what you say here, Lord of the West. What you call a fairytale is the foundation of our entire lives."

Sesshoumaru merely gave a  _hmm_  of acknowledgement before returning to his silence.

Mamoru turned to Octavia and studied her, his brow creasing after a while.

"There is a restriction on your power," he mused.

She nodded. "That's right. A creature came to our castle and cast a spell on me. Sesshoumaru too. He used to be of Silver bloodline, but now he isn't. And I can't access my magic at will. I don't know what kind of spell could do something like that."

"That is perplexing. But how did you know to come here?"

"It told us to. The creature, whatever it was, it wanted us to come."

"Why?"

She stole a glimpse at Sesshoumaru. He was looking at her too, and she wondered if she should tell Mamoru about the master the shadow youkai had talked about.

_It could be any one of them here_ , his eyes seemed to say.  _It could be all of them, for all we know. All of them conspiring together to lure us into their domain and use us._

_Use us for what?_

The warning in his eyes was answer enough, so she turned back to Mamoru and said, "I don't know."

He seemed to notice the strangeness in her answer.

She had never been very good at lying.

"This creature," he pushed, "What did it look like? Was it human or demon? Or animal, even?"

"I don't know that either. At first, I thought it was a demon, but . . . It just looked more like a shadow."

A mimic of something else.

Just residue.

A ghost.

She still shivered at the memory of it and the horde of them at Princess Chiyo's castle. What had been their intention there? If they wanted to lure them out to this island, why try to kill them before they even reached the sea?

What was their goal by stripping them of their abilities?

Mamoru's expression was grave, and something in his eyes made Octavia feel . . . uneasy.

She didn't know why.

"Listen to me,  _meiji_. Shikon magic is holy to us, but it is a dark source of power in the wrong hands. Spiritual energy and demon youki are both powerful in their own rights, but they are mere branches off of the power you hold. The scale of destruction you could wage is catastrophic, and under the wrong influence, you could bring about the end of this world. Perhaps this restriction on your magic is not in fact a curse, but more a blessing."

That didn't sit well with her at all.

"No, that can't be right," she said, "A friend of ours said my power was vital to an ancient prophecy. He said a darkness is coming. A darkness I could help stop. I need to get it back."

"I wish I could help you, but there is nothing I can do."

"What about Sesshoumaru? Why target him if their goal was to prevent me from destroying the world? Why lure him here too if he has no connection to the legend?"

"Perhaps he does."

Octavia frowned and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.

Nagisa spoke up then.

"What do you mean, 'perhaps he does'? He doesn't have any Shikon magic. He never would have learned of its existence if not for her."

Mamoru stared at Sesshoumaru thoughtfully. "And yet . . . his path coincidentally crossed paths with hers."

"You once said there is no such thing as coincidence," Taro threw in.

Mamoru's eyes flickered.

"That is precisely my point."

Octavia thought about that long after they left the temple. As they made their descent down the many stone steps, her mind swum with notions of fate and destiny.

Had it been by chance that she'd stumbled upon his campsite that first night she came through the dry well, or had it been part of something bigger? Something that, no matter how much more she learned . . . she still felt no closer to understanding.

_There is no such thing as coincidence._

It was a belief the people of her world still held on to as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a cruel coincidence that his dad was killed by a dragon (Ryuukotsei) when he already saw them as a bad omen.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! And stay hydrated!


	29. Balance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all have the best year and that 2018 is kind to you (it's really blessing me with all this great new anime! *cough* watch the ancient magus' bride *cough*) Enjoy the new chapter and don't forget to review!!

"What do you think of Mamoru?"

"I think he is a gormless idiot that is fond of spouting nonsense."

Octavia snickered.

She and Sesshoumaru sat on a ledge on the outskirts of the city, watching the sun go down. There was to be a celebration that night. A festival of sorts, to honour the God Stars and the sanctuary of the island. Nagisa had given them a brief rundown of events, several of which included dances, a banquet, and an ancient prayer delivered by the island priestesses. Sesshoumaru thought it was all completely silly, but Octavia was rather excited.

"I wonder why we were told to come here," she thought aloud, "I was expecting a band of evil shadow men lying in wait for us to arrive, but it seems pretty lovely here."

"Indeed. It is quite troubling."

"Why is it troubling?"

"Because we were brought here for a reason. And it wasn't to dance and play pretend with the fools of this place. There has to be a trap set in place somewhere."

"Maybe the nice atmosphere is the trap. Maybe they think they can trick us into staying here forever because of how pleasant everything is."

"I would rather go back to having one arm again than choosing to stay here forever."

She dangled her legs over the edge and turned her head to look at him.

"What do you mean, 'having one arm again'?"

"I lost it in a fight with Inuyasha when he first acquired Tessaiga."

"But you have two arms now. What, did it magically grow back?"

"It did."

"Oh."

"Is that so strange?"

"It is a little bit."

The sun had almost completely set behind the ocean, and the sky was a dark gold. She thought about Mamoru's words, about her magic being dangerous. Sesshoumaru was dangerous, even without his royal bloodline, so what exactly did this elusive villain want?

Whose side were they on, the humans or the demons?

"What was it like? Only having one arm."

He seemed to ponder over it.

"Tremendously inconvenient."

"I'm sorry."

"I do not want your pity, human."

"It's not pity. It's respect. I would be useless without both arms, but I bet you were fighting like it didn't make a difference. That's not weakness, Sesshoumaru, it's strength. You carried on when so many others would have given up. Don't turn your nose up at it just because you're the world's biggest perfectionist."

He smirked.

"What?" she asked.

"Always so bold with your words."

"Maybe I just enjoy getting a reaction out of you."

She smiled when he made a noise that sounded something like a chuckle and watched the last rays of the sun disappear beyond the horizon. It was somehow beautiful and sad all at the same time, and she saw the ghostly speckle of stars slowly emerge from behind the bruised purple sky. They were clearer in this time and she was always thrown by the beauty that came so naturally with their appearance. Thousands of constellations, far away beyond the dark. Some long dead, but shining still with the fervour of a flock of fireflies.

Her eyes shone with their reflections, like mirrors, and she smiled faintly.

". . . Can I ask you a question?" she whispered in the new darkness.

"You can, but I cannot guarantee that I will give you an answer."

She breathed another laugh and twisted her fingers together in her lap. Lights glowed from behind them as the city prepared for their celebrations, the actual fireflies waking up and stretching their wings. She let the breeze from the sea wash over her face and closed her eyes.

"Who's Naraku?"

She felt him still beside her.

The question had been nagging her for so long. She had heard the name tossed around so much, but she had no idea what the story was behind it. The only pieces she had been able to put together were that he had wanted to use the sacred jewel for his own dark desires, and that many had gathered together to defeat him. Inuyasha, Kagome, Koga, and even Sesshoumaru, they were only a few that had taken part in the war against him.

But why had they all participated?

What had he done to start all the conflict?

"Naraku was a foul being born from the greed of a dying human," Sesshoumaru answered quietly, and she could hear the loathing dripping from his voice. "His name was Onigumo, once. A long time ago. He was saved by the miko, Kikyo, many years ago, and Inuyasha claims his lust for her created the monster we came to know as Naraku."

Kikyo.

She recognised that name as well.

"What made all of you fight him?"

"There were many reasons. For Inuyasha, it was revenge. For most it was revenge. He slaughtered many of Koga's friends and comrades. And he was also vermin, staining the country with blood and disease. He needed to be disposed of."

Her expression saddened. She remembered Koga's smiling face; his cheery words. Naraku had murdered his friends. She tried to imagine an intense pain like that. Losing so many people like that . . . it was unfathomable to her.

Her whole life, she had had no one.

If anyone had ever harmed someone close to her, she would have wanted revenge too.

"Why was it so hard to kill him? You're powerful enough on your own. With people like Inuyasha and Koga on your side, surely it would have been easy to take him out?"

"It was not so simple. He had a habit of removing his heart and placing it elsewhere, ensuring that it was impossible to truly rid him from the world. His existence was born from hunger and darkness. He clung to this dimension like a parasite, and with the jewel in his command, he possessed the power to reshape reality. He was scum, certainly, but he was a formidable opponent."

She nodded, listening to the waves crashing against the cliffs beneath her their feet.

". . . He's gone now," she said. "You won."

"I know."

"But you still think about him sometimes."

He met her gaze.

Sometimes she saw everything in those orange-scorched eyes . . . but sometimes she saw nothing at all.

The sound of nearing voices made her look away from him and towards the city, but his eyes remained on her. She wondered what he thought of her. Him, shaped by war, and her, untouched. She must look so small to him. So young and naïve. He had seen things that would break her heart and mind, but she still lectured him like he was the child.

He was no child.

He was a mountain, and she was a flower growing in the field next to it.

Nagisa and Haru came running around a corner towards them then, and she rose to her feet. Sesshoumaru did the same and she felt his presence beside her like a steady flame. "Are you ready, star mage?" Nagisa asked, her smile oozing with a natural coolness Octavia envied.

"I guess so."

"Good. Oh, and try not to look too uncomfortable if people stare. We haven't had anyone like you here for a long time. It's quite exciting, you see."

"I'll try not to grimace too much."

Sesshoumaru's lips almost curved into a smirk.

Seemingly pleased with her answers—or pleased enough, at least—Nagisa took Haru's hand and gestured for her and Sesshoumaru to follow.

Octavia smoothed out the creases in her new kimono as she walked. Taro had insisted she be rid of the peasant attire and wear something more suited to her magical status, meaning she was now wearing a shimmery silver-coloured yukata that blazed underneath direct light. It was as if its maker had woven a basketful of stardust into its fabric, causing it to glow almost supernaturally. The sash around her waist was gold and it too had the same sparkling effect. Her cantaloupe locks were threaded with ribbons and tiny bells hanging from them tinkled as she walked. Whilst she did feel a lot like a walking Christmas tree, she secretly liked it a lot.

"You look like a powerful mage, Octavia-san," Haru beamed at her.

"Are you saying I don't usually?"

His cheeks bled pink and his eyes shot elsewhere. "No! I . . . I wasn't . . ."

Octavia just giggled as his face got redder and redder.

"You're hopeless, Haru-chan," Nagisa said, "How can you ever expect to find a wife when you're so bad at talking to girls?"

"I don't  _want_  a wife!"

"A husband, then."

"I don't want to get married at  _all_! Married people are  _gross_."

"Gross, huh? Well, if I'm so gross, I guess you won't be wanting my special stew anymore. Since it's made by someone who is so gross."

He visibly recoiled at that and his eyes practically inflated.

" _No_!" he shrieked, "You're not gross! Just other married people! Please let me keep eating your stew, Nagi-san!"

"I don't know, I feel quite insulted."

Haru's eyes wobbled and he walked wordlessly for a while, before breaking down and apologising frantically. Nagisa just laughed, poking his cheeks, and Octavia felt warm simply watching them. Their closeness touched her and she found herself wondering what it would feel like to be that close to someone, if she ever got so lucky.

She stole a glance at Sesshoumaru and almost laughed from his bewildered frown alone.

_Bumbling idiots_ , she imagined him grumbling.

Eventually, they reached the heart of the city. The cobbled courtyard was filled with people dancing and decorations bearing the symbol of a star. Flutes and drumbeats filled the air, and she felt a sudden wave of giddiness. Haru rushed out into the twirling crowd and Nagisa turned to face the two of them.

She gave Sesshoumaru a sceptical look, then crossed her arms and asked, "Are you just going to stand there? See if she wants to dance."

"I do not stoop to frolicking like a fool drunk on faerie wine."

"Does no man around here know what to say to a woman?"

His expression remained unamused.

"Well," she shrugged, "I guess I'll just have to take her out of your useless hands then."

Octavia's brows shot up. "What?"

"You heard. Let's dance!"

"Oh, I'd rather not—"

"I didn't say it was a request."

And with that, she grabbed her hand and dragged her into the cluster of spinning bodies.

Octavia tried to control her shock, having been perfectly content to sit back and watch with Sesshoumaru. She'd known he wouldn't feel obligated to involve the two of them in unnecessary social activities, and thus hadn't worried as much as she probably should have.

She hadn't counted on Nagisa taking matters into her own hands and literally dragging her out into the spotlight.

Biting the insides of her cheeks as the demoness danced freely and gracefully in front of her, Octavia wished she  _was_  drunk on faerie wine. If she was intoxicated, at least, she wouldn't feel quite so awkward. People were watching her, she could see them. Little glances as they spun past, so quick she barely would have noticed if she wasn't paying such close attention. Octavia was hardly a shy individual, but this particular situation was causing her heart to hammer and her knees to weaken. Her dress glittered like diamond and she swallowed, feeling hotter and hotter by the drumbeat.

Perhaps if she told Nagisa she wasn't feeling well, she could sneak away and hide somewhere.

Crouching behind a rock or a wall seemed intensely more appealing than this.

"You're thinking too hard, Octavia."

The demoness's voice broke through her barrier of troubled thoughts.

"I'm feeling sort of dizzy, I think I'm going to—"

She took her hands again, more gently this time, and looked at her intensely. Whatever her dress was made of, Nagisa's eyes were made of it too, because they glimmered like a running river. Or polished steel. Energy flowed from Nagisa's hands into her own, and she exhaled abruptly as she felt an ocean breeze on her face. The salty air calmed her and she breathed properly, closing her eyes for a moment to readjust herself. The island inhabitants continued to whirl around them, but oddly, Octavia found herself feeling slightly more at ease . . .

"Movement is good for control," Nagisa said, "It helps find balance. You need balance. You're like a storm right now; churning clouds and cracking thunder. Those skies need to be turned blue and calm."

"I'm not a very good dancer," was all Octavia could muster to say to that.

Nagisa laughed heartily and cast her gaze onto the figures dancing around them. "That's not stopping some of these."

That drew the briefest of laughs from Octavia and Nagisa squeezed her hands.

"You've been holding back your magic for far too long. You need to let it flow. Like a waterfall. Feel the movements in your soul and let yourself go. It'll be okay, I promise. I  _promise_."

"But the blockade."

"The power is trapped, but the energy can still be released. Not Shikon energy, the energy all of us have. The very force of life. You have to find the balance in it or else you'll be destroyed. Movement helps us understand that state of balance. That's what this celebration is all about."

For a second, Octavia was reminded of Yoda's teachings in the second  _Star Wars_. If she was Luke in this scenario, did that make Nagisa the little green Jedi?

It was a strange thing to imagine, so she cast it out of her mind and found the moon in the sky. It was a waning crescent, thin and silver. There was something about it that made her feel safe, despite the unfamiliar island and the barrier surrounding it. So, with her eyes sliding closed, Octavia felt herself slipping out of herself and high into the air above them. For a moment, she could see the dancing, and the pirouetting fabrics, and the fireflies floating around her. She watched herself spinning, slowly, and released the tension from her heart.

She danced as if she were sixteen again, twirling around the town hall her school had rented for their end of final year prom. She thought of Danny Fisher, pink-cheeked and asking her to dance. She had told him yes because that was the only connection she knew how to form. She couldn't even properly recall his face anymore, even though it had only been a couple of years ago. Perhaps if she had tried harder, she wouldn't have had to be so alone.

It was too late to dwell on things long passed.

She was here now, and for this moment, she wasn't completely alone.

It felt as good as she'd thought it would.


	30. Shadow Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should explain a few questions you might have... but is it the full story??? Read to find out.

Sesshoumaru lingered on the edge of the dancers, watching. Such festivity was beneath him—and not to mention all of the social pandering—so he usually opted to avoid attending events like this altogether.

But he had to admit, the human was right about the atmosphere the place generated. There was boundless life all around, bursting with colour and sound and excitement. It was difficult to believe there was anything suspicious about the place, although, undoubtedly, something was.

Perhaps whilst they were distracted by this fatuous nonsense, he could slip away and uncover some secrets. Yes, he thought with the smallest of smirks. They would hardly notice his disappearance.

Not even Octavia, whose hands were currently clasped with the sea dragon's as the two of them spun around and around. The shimmery fabric of her kimono flared with every turn and temporarily blinded him, and then she was spinning on her own; faster and faster, like a dance of sunbeams. She eventually slowed and came to a stop, her grin ear-splitting and cheeks flushed. She seemed to sense him staring and turned her head to meet his gaze. He didn't react as her eyes shone like moonlight, luminous and bright even from so far away. But there was something else in them that made him smile at her, if only ever so slightly.

There was a promise of something larger in those green eyes of hers, and he saw it clearly.

A silent oath that if things went to hell, she would have his back.

And he would have hers.

His eyes flashed at her and he slid wordlessly away from the gathering.

He strolled down multiple streets until he reached the tower of steps leading up to the temple. The temple wasn't the reason he had come, it was what was  _underneath_  it. There were crevices in the rock that had caught his eye as they went to climb the stairs, and he eyed them carefully in the dark. Glancing back only once, he made his way into one of the openings and carefully began travelling through the passage.

Now, Sesshoumaru liked to think of himself as above creeping, but there was really no better way to describe what he was doing now.

His footsteps made little sound as he trekked along the rock, his boots cushioned by a fine layer of damp moss, though he heard no running water. The passage was larger than he had expected, but it was pitch black. If not for his advanced vision which allowed him to see in the dark, he would be completely blind.

Tenseiga hummed silently at his side; never a good sign.

He narrowed his eyes and saw faint light blooming up ahead. Torchlight. Whatever he uncovered down there, his claws and brute strength would be enough to deal with it. He secretly hoped that the outcome would be different to what had happened in Ebisu, where he had been forced to rely on Octavia to come running to save him like he was some wretched damsel. He was grateful not to have died, but there was the matter of his reputation if anyone ever found out about it. The darned spell was to blame. If he was himself, he would have had no trouble besting the slavers and saving himself.

To be rescued, and by a human girl nonetheless . . . it was outright insulting.

He reached what seemed to be the end of the tunnel and found that it opened out into a much larger cavern. The space was illuminated with hanging torches, but there seemed to be no one about. There were no figures lurking in the shadows, no thrums of heartbeat, no clumsy noise that might suggest movement. It was completely isolated down in the hollow . . . except for the metres of paint inked across the cavern walls.

Curious shapes and symbols patterned the rock, as well as more recognisable objects and scenarios. There were people too, created with smears and elaborate swirls that worked together to tell some kind of story. What the story was, however, he could not decipher.

"Captivating, isn't it?"

Sesshoumaru was startled by the voice—bewildered as to why he hadn't heard anyone come in—but he refused to let it show.

He turned slowly, maintaining his stoic façade, and found Mamoru standing just a few feet away with his arms tucked into his haori sleeves.

"This is a sacred place, Lord of the West," he said, and Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed further, "Sneaking down here is a terrible offense. But somehow, I sense you don't care about that."

"These paintings. What are they?"

"Ancient scribbles, really. It is the story they tell that makes them so important."

"And what is that?"

Mamoru's snout twisted into a frown. "You expect me to tell you after you've snooped around where you're not allowed? Fine, I'll humour you."

He retracted his hands from his sleeves and pointed at four particularly large spirals surrounded by what looked like lightning and clouds.

"The God Stars, as I'm sure you must have guessed. Here they are creating the universe and everything in it. Then there are the wielders of spiritual power, Sakimitama's tears, and the mutated children of Aramitama, youkai. The war between them was fierce, so the Stars sent down a prodigy child to resolve the conflict . . . But you already know that story, don't you, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"There is more, I presume?"

"Oh, there is  _always_  more."

.

.

Not long after the creation of the universe, a goddess's tears fell from the heavens and created a massive spring on an island in the north.

Namida, the island was later named.

The spring was rumoured to have healing abilities, and some even claimed it was the elixir of immortality. Many came to drink from the spring, but to the despair of those who did, nothing ever happened. They were poisoned by the greed in their hearts, and as a result, countless wars were waged over the sacred land.

The people believed that if they showed enough power, the spring would bestow upon them its magical properties.

The more blood they shed, the more worthy they were of its fabled gifts.

But the will of the Gods was far from such a beastly, ruthless mindset.

Eventually, the armies died, and the rumours of the spring were forgotten.

Until one summer morning, when seven women from the nearby village went to sit beside the spring, thirsty, and drank the water. Just as the stories had told, its magical properties transformed them. They became the first Shikon Mothers and used their newfound abilities to transform the water into crystal and manipulate it to their will. They built impressive structures, walls, and towers so high that they almost touched the clouds. These crystal sculptures formed a protective shield around the island that protected it from harm.

The women's names were Ximaenah, Lusian, Okteviah, Rhoeminae, Ivannah, and Manuaelle.

They built the city of Momose and raised their offspring within its protective borders. Their children possessed the same magic they did, passed down through blood, and eventually, after the passing of the Original Mothers, the growing string of magi left the sanctuary of the island and branched out into countless different religions.

Centuries passed, and the power was believed to have quietly died out, but an ember always remained, dormant and waiting. That power would return someday, the people of Namida believed, and with it, the curse of youkai would be lifted from this world.

.

.

Ordinarily, Sesshoumaru would have rolled his eyes at the demon, but he maintained his stoic façade. "Why are you telling me this gibberish?" he asked.

"Everyone up there is so caught up in their excitement that no one has asked the question of why you and the Shikon wielder came here in the first place. Or if they have, you have yet to provide an answer. Why did you make the journey, may I ask?"

"I do not answer to those who believe in children's stories."

"I see . . . It doesn't have anything to do with a curse, does it?"

Sesshoumaru's attention was captured and he narrowed his eyes.

"Whatever gave you such an idea?"

Mamoru's snout stretched into a smile that unnerved him.

"It was hardly a difficult guess," he said, "The star mage can only access a fraction of her power, and it is common knowledge that the Lord of the West is of Silver bloodline . . .  _Not_  Black. So, my guess is that you came here in the hopes of lifting the curses placed upon you both. Am I right, Taiyoukai?"

Light danced on the walls of the cavern and cast shadows. Sesshoumaru saw them moving in the corners of his vision, and it didn't escape his attention that they were shifting in rather unnatural ways.

Ways an ordinary shade created by light should  _not_.

Mamoru's eyes were soulless and dark, and for a moment, Sesshoumaru felt an urge of growing doom. They had been lured here, by an unknown force that had stripped them of their prioritised strengths. The island's barrier was rumoured to keep those with bad intentions out, but . . . Could it keep those same people trapped  _inside_  as well?

Because of his pride, he only just began to consider the possibility that he had walked into a trap.

Mamoru smiled, shadows crawling across his face.

"Is that realisation I see creeping across your features, prince?"

"Who are you?" Sesshoumaru asked, calmly.

He refused to bow to this false prophet's trickery.

"You still don't know? Even after you received my message and accepted my invitation to come here?"

"I will cut you down where you stand if you continue spouting such vague nonsense."

He chuckled, low and far too Naraku-like for Sesshoumaru's preference, and a serpent of shadow coiled around his raised hand.

"I have been imprisoned here for centuries. Flitting around with these dreaming, dancing fools. I may not be able to leave this island, but my shadows can. So, I had them drive you here. I stripped you both of the things you valued the most. For her, it was the feeling of self-worth she had just begun to feel thanks to her magic, and for you, it was your pride. Your overbearing, all-consuming arrogance. It was so easy to play with. All I had to do was take away your blood heritage and there you had it. You were running away like a runt thrown out of its litter, desperate to remain respected and feared. It was funny, how quickly you ran."

Sesshoumaru flexed his claws, his patience thinning.

"Why did you lure us here? Neither of us has ever been acquainted with you. What do you hope to achieve?"

"You still know so little. How sad. Don't you know the truth? About your precious human?"

"Speak, or die."

Mamoru laughed again, and he almost cut out his tongue right then and there.

"The fate of the eighth. Haven't you heard the prophecy? The Shikon warrior, Midoriko, left it in the hopes that we would understand. Her dying words, yet still, no one understands."

"No one besides you, I take it?"

"Yes. No one besides me."

Totosai had told them the prophecy. It felt like such a long time ago. The words ran through his head, the ramblings of a senile old fool. The bull youkai claimed it was a warning from the miko, Midoriko, but of what?

The lines mentioned a coming darkness.

A darkness that could be slain only by Octavia.

But he had yet to come across any clues or pointers that could hint to what that darkness actually was.

"The girl is a weapon," Mamoru said, his eyes blank sockets. "There is a movement. A gathering of humans who want to eradicate impurity from this world. Liars . . . traitors . . .  _youkai_. They do it in the name of Shikon—the basis of fairy tales, as you say—but the threat they pose is very real. If they ever manage to get their hands on her, our kind will be wiped from this earth. It is  _our_  destruction she will bring about. That is the warning behind the poetry."

_Demonkind will erupt into ashes._

Sesshoumaru could feel the weight of doubt on his shoulders. He had been sceptical of her from the start, but to believe her capable of destroying the entire population of youkai?

It was absurd.

Her power was raw and unknown, but she spoke of  _hope_ , and justice. Of  _peace_  between the species. She spoke of a world without humans and demons fighting, where they could share from the same bowl and lean on one another for support. Unity. As impossible as the dream was, he hadn't sensed any falseness in her words whenever she mentioned it.

He truly believed that she wanted a world where that was real.

_The girl is a weapon._

Weapon.

Implying she could be  _used_  by those with destructive motives, but not sharing those morals herself.

Somehow, according to this fiend, whatever was tucked away inside of her held the potential to annihilate his people, but he wasn't afraid she would betray him. No, not even in the slightest. He was surprised at his confidence in her, and still terribly bewildered on the entire situation.

"If she is so dangerous," he said, "Why bring her here?"

"To eliminate her, of course."

"Your minions had plenty of chances to do so before now. Why even bother placing a seal on her power? Why not simply have her killed instead?"

"It is not so easy to kill the spawn of a god."

"Is it not?"

"It is not. One requires the correct approach, the adequate setting, and, of course, the right slaughter tool."

Violence sung in Sesshoumaru's veins.

He was itching to kill him. To put an end to his tedious monologue and to protect her from his nefarious plot. He told himself he didn't care what happened to her, but Rin was already inconveniently fond of her. Hauling back her dead body and explaining it to the little girl was not something he particularly wanted to do.

"Then why wait?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, his voice imitating the quick slash of a blade.

Mamoru stretched out the arm that was cloaked with shadow and bared his teeth.

"Because I thought I might kill you first."

Darkness flooded the cavern.


	31. Eyes of a warrior

An unexpected burst of unease bubbled inside Octavia's chest, and her dancing came to a halt.

Her ears blocked out the sounds of music and laughter and homed in on Sesshoumaru's absence. He had yet to return, and whilst she trusted his ability to avoid danger, something deep inside her told her something was amiss.

She left the crowd, ensuring that Nagisa's attention was occupied by Taro, and set off in the direction she had seen him go. Somehow, her feet carried her on their own accord, as if they could feel him out there somewhere and were taking her to him. She quickened her pace and balled her fists, feeling the familiar fizz of the Reikon Blade on her thigh.

_Something is wrong_ , her brain screamed.  _Something is wrong, wrong, wrong._

Her feet carried her to the bottom of the temple steps, and she felt a powerful ripple of youki coming from deep inside the rock of the mountain.

Sesshoumaru's youki.

She swallowed, closing her eyes, and felt for him through the rock. Somewhere in her soul, she found a silver string she thought led to him. She reached out, clutching it with her fingers, and followed it like Theseus blindly navigating the Minotaur's Labyrinth. An opening in the rock near the base of the steps made her think back to the slavers' hideout in Ebisu . . . Was he suffering, down there? Like he was when he was wrapped in Asuka's chains? The thought made her step into the entrance of the crevice and climb down through the passage.

There was no light coming from the end of the tunnel, yet somehow, she could sense he was down there.

And he wasn't alone.

Her heart thumped ferociously and she slid the Reikon Blade out of its sheath, gripping it in her hand. It might not be able to cut flesh, but surely it would do  _something_  if she stabbed hard enough. Maybe it would startle whoever else was down there with Sesshoumaru for long enough for the Taiyoukai to finish him off.

"I'm coming," she whispered in the darkness. "I'm coming for you."

.

.

He heard her voice regardless of all other sounds. Like a whisper of wind deep underground. His claws sliced through Mamoru's shadows and he tried to feel for her presence in the cavern. She needed to stay away. This was a trap set for him – one he could easily get out of on his own – but if Mamoru became alerted to her appearance, there was no telling what he might do. She might have the blood of a goddess flowing through her veins, but with the block still firmly in place on her powers, there was little she could do to defend herself.

Unless whatever darkness had fallen over her last time plagued her again, and she completely succumbed to its deadly allure.

_I'm coming._

_I'm coming for you._

She needed to get  _out_.

"What's the matter, Sesshoumaru?" Mamoru called, "I thought you were supposed to be able to see in the dark."

That was true, but this was no ordinary darkness.

"We've played for long enough now anyway. It's a pity you should go down in such a place, with no one around to witness your death. What will happen to your people, I wonder, without their king? You have no heirs to take your place, and I that doubt anyone would accept a half-breed like your bastard brother."

"How do you know of Inuyasha?"

"I have eyes everywhere."

Octavia's aura was still thrumming somewhere inside the rock, and he made another swipe for Mamoru with his claws. There was another form of energy alongside her, he felt . . . Something small and pulsing.

The blade she carried strapped to her leg. It reacted to certain situations, it seemed, but what did it mean? Like Tenseiga, it couldn't cut beings of this world, but could it harm Mamoru?

He was certainly a creature from ancient times, but he seemed very much alive.

"I shall tell the star mage how I watched the life drain from your eyes. She will like that, I think. It may even be enough to coerce her into unleashing her promised power."

"Are you not the one responsible for placing the block on her magic?" Sesshoumaru asked, a shadow curling around one of his legs, "How can she do so if she cannot even properly utilise it?"

"I have her in the palm of my hands, she has no choice but to answer to me. I will lift the block once I know she will carry out my wish."

The shadow around his leg tightened and he slashed at it with his claws. They went straight through it, like a phantom snake, and it continued to coil around him tightly.

_Wish_.

The Shikon no tama had been able to grant wishes.

Was that the final extent of her power? To be used as a weapon and forced to carry out a terrible wish of mass death and destruction? If she was like the Jewel, she would have no choice but to make that wish a reality.

She would have no choice but to turn his people to dust.

Women, children . . . It would make no difference.

She would burn them all.

Every last one until the earth was purged.

If it came to that . . . could he kill her before she got the chance?

The possibilities of the ending to their story overwhelmed him, and he cast his head upward to the dripping roof of the cavern. He couldn't burst through it, he would bring the whole thing down on their heads, not to mention the temple as well. And if he tried to exit through the passage, Mamoru would find out about Octavia.

Meaning the only way left to go was  _down_.

He locked eyes with Mamoru and let out a snarl. The bull youkai sniggered and Sesshoumaru's snout began to elongate. He wasn't foolish enough to transform in such a small space, but the energy that was released during his metamorphosis would be enough to break through the rock beneath their feet and lead him away to kill him.

His hands were like an Oni's, and when Mamoru prepared to strike again, he sent them crashing in a descent and ripped through the floor, sending them falling into the black.

.

.

Octavia gasped at the violent tremors and was about to take another step forward when a hand materialised on her shoulder, and another clamped down over her mouth to muffle her scream.

"Be quiet," it hissed in her ear.

She tilted her head and saw a pair of silver eyes glowing like stars in the dark.

_Nagisa_.

The demoness removed her hand from her mouth and brought a finger to her lips. "Questions later. For now, let's deal with the current problem on hand."

"How did you know I was here?"

"Didn't I just say questions later? Now listen to me. You have to go back through the passage and up the temple steps. Once you reach the top, go wild. Forget about the sentimentality, destroy as much as you can. Send it all crumbling down on top of the traitorous bastard."

"You seem to have forgotten that  _Sesshoumaru_  is down there too."

"I haven't forgotten, that's why I'm here. You'll go wreck some havoc, and I'll save your precious prince. Sound good?"

She shook her head, despair rising in her chest. "How am I supposed to trust you? You could be in on it too and be planning to kill him once I'm out of the picture."

"You're right, I could."

"Then how can I  _trust_  you?"

"You trust Sesshoumaru," she said, steel eyes glinting.

"That's not the same."

"Why not? Just give me the same benefit of the doubt you gave him. You're going to have to, because how else are you going to help him?"

Part of her wanted to smack Nagisa in the face, but another part wanted her to believe in her. How could she even be considering it? She couldn't gamble on Sesshoumaru's life. Not when they were clearly caught in a web and surrounded by spiders.

A sudden calm settled over the storm in her, and she lifted the Reikon Blade up to Nagisa's eye level. The sea dragon's eyes widened momentarily at the sight of it, then turned pleading. "You have to trust me," she said, "I'm not in on it, I swear. I took an oath. I pledged my allegiance. You have to understand."

"But I don't," said Octavia, her voice calm, "And I don't have to be up there to send this temple crashing down on all of us . . . I can do it right from here."

The shock didn't even have time to register in Nagisa's eyes before a giant spear of crystal came breaking through the rock behind her. It shook the foundations of the cavern, but they held, pieces of rubble falling from the ceiling and cracks forming in the walls. The crystal spear morphed out like clay and pointed at the roof of the cavern, ready to shoot up on her command.

Nagisa's expression completely betrayed her usually cool façade and was flooded with frenzied panic.

Octavia held the knife to her throat, pressing lightly against her skin but hard enough to make her threat real. "I may not have my full power, but I have this island. It was made to obey me. And I won't hesitate to send it sinking beneath the waves. So, you, or Mamoru, or whoever is behind this scheme . . . made a  _terrible_  mistake bringing me here."

Nagisa's mouth parted slowly to reveal shark's teeth, her lips wobbling ever so slightly. Octavia stared into her eyes for a moment more before retracting the blade and scurrying past her towards the gaping chasm in the ground.

Youki clashed against shadow and she could feel every strike deep in her bones.

Nagisa made no move to stop her as she tore off a strip of her dress and then ripped it in two, wrapping the shimmering fabric around her the palms of her hands tightly. The shattered rock was jagged, and she wanted to receive as little injuries as possible simply from climbing down. She tied them in place in strong knots and then kicked off her stupid sandals.

"Don't do this,  _Sutākuīn_ ," she heard Nagisa breathe. "Please. You're making an incredibly reckless choice."

"What else is new?"

Then she began the descent down into the hellish pit.

.

.

Sesshoumaru's boots hit the hard stone of a lower floor and he raised his claws. Dust and rock rained down from above and he quickly took in his new surroundings. This cavern was larger than the one above and its walls bore countless entrances to new passages. There were places were the ground gave way and formed winding river-like chasms, where clouds of steam rose from and filled the damp underground air. He could hear water somewhere even farther below – churning currents and the unforgiving crash of wave into rock – and the smell of it nearly blinded his senses. Raw, concentrated salt invaded his nostrils and sent a dizzying spell washing over him, but that wasn't all.

There was power in the water.

The same power that was in the crystals.

And Octavia.

Shadows crawled along the cavern walls. He cracked his knuckles and prepared to fight. Mamoru's laughter rumbled through the hollow and seemed to cut through the rising steam. The phantom hands curled around him, stroking him, and his elongated snout wrinkled as he growled.

In his half-transformed state, Sesshoumaru truly earned the title of  _monster_.

The sea dragon's youki hit him then and he resisted the instinct to lift his head. He couldn't trust her either. Whilst he was stuck dealing with this venomous snake, she could use the opportunity to take out Octavia. Fortunately, he could still sense her, radiating that bizarre ancient power even with the powerful block. Did she not intend to harm her after all?

Perhaps she was simply waiting for the right chance to act.

"You are distracted," Mamoru said, reappearing before him. A wall of steam was all that separated them. "Hoping the star mage will come to your rescue again? She is good at that."

That captured Sesshoumaru's complete attention.

"You know of the woman," he stated.

"Asuka is her name. I know you didn't forget it. Your failure to call people by their proper names truly highlights your arrogance, prince."

"Rodents are not deserving of proper names."

"Does it make you feel more important, pretending we are nothing? It must do wonders for your ego. Not that I can blame you. You must fall in your father's shadow more often than you would enjoy. Tell me, what was it like . . . learning he had died for a mortal woman and the hanyou atrocity she called a son?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes were dark red and he snarled louder.

" _Silence_ ," he hissed.

"You must have been even more humiliated after being gifted a mere toy when the abomination received everything—"

A large rock flew from the side then and cut his sentence short. He easily evaded it, but the surprise was evident on his hideous face.

It hit the wall behind him with a vigorous  _crunch_ , and sent a crack crawling up all the way to the ceiling.

Sesshoumaru turned his head and found Octavia standing by the heap of fallen rubble, the Reikon knife in her hand and her breathing heavy. There was little intimidating about her, all dirty and panting, but when he saw her eyes, he stopped. There was fury in them like he'd never seen – a forest on fire, leaves burning and burning – and they shone with unshed tears and determined rage. But he  _had_  seen eyes like that before, he realised. Well, he hadn't technically seen, but he  _knew_  those eyes . . .

He knew those eyes because they were  _his_  eyes.

All that fire, and anger, and resolution. His father had told him that the look in his eyes was all he had needed to take him under his wing and train him into the fiercest creature the world would ever know.  _You have the eyes of a warrior, my son_ , he had told him.  _You will lay waste to armies and cut down any enemy, no matter how powerful. You are my blood, and when anyone hears your name, they will quake with terror. You will be the blade. You will be destruction._

But then he had left him for a human woman and an unborn halfling child.

_I'm coming._

He looked at her through the floating curtains of steam.

_I'm coming for you._

She might have been human, she might have been frail, she might have even been afraid . . .

But she had those very same eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is action-packed! Don't forget to review and thanks as always for reading X


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